China Seeks to Load African Scientific Equipment on Lunar Probe

China is pushing to load scientific equipment developed by an African research institution onto its Chang'e 8 lunar probe, scheduled for launch in 2029, according to Chinese state media.

According to the Chinese state-run Global Times on the 3rd, Carla Mitchell, the head of the Africa2Moon project at the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory, recently stated in an interview with the outlet, "We are pursuing participation in the Chang'e 8 mission to send scientific equipment independently developed by Africa to the Moon."

Africa2Moon is a project to study ultra-low frequency cosmic signals that are difficult to observe from Earth by installing low-frequency radio astronomy observation antennas on the lunar surface.

Its goal is to observe ultra-low frequency radio signals coming from space by taking advantage of the characteristics of the Moon's far side, where there is almost no radio interference from Earth.

According to the China National Space Administration (CNSA), Chang'e 8 is scheduled to be launched around 2029 as one of the core missions for building an international lunar research station.

Payloads from 11 countries and regions, including Asia, Europe, Africa, and South America, as well as one international organization, are planned to be loaded onto this probe.

Mitchell said, "As space exploration is difficult for any single country to carry out independently, openness and inclusiveness must be core principles," adding, "Cooperation is a process of combining each other's strengths to achieve goals that cannot be attained alone."

(Photo: Captured from Hong Kong SCMP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.