BEIJING (AP) China will launch its next robot lunar lander in 2024, and it will carry equipment from France, Sweden, Russia and Italy, the official news agency reported. <\/p>\n
Plans call for Change 6 to land near the lunar south pole and collect samples for return to Earth, the programs chief designer, Hu Hao, said at a conference Saturday, according to the Xinhua News Agency. <\/p>\n
The Change landers are part of Chinese space exploration efforts that also include a probe that is preparing to land a robot rover on Mars. There are also plans for a crewed orbital station, landing a human on the moon and retrieving soil from an asteroid.<\/p>\n
In December, the previous moon probe, Change 5, returned lunar rocks to Earth for the first time since the 1970s. <\/p>\n
Change 6 is to collect lunar samples automatically for comprehensive analysis and research, Hu was quoted as saying at the conference in the eastern city of Nanjing. <\/p>\n
The lander is expected to carry instruments developed by scientists from France, Sweden, Italy and Russia, Hu said. He gave no details of what they will do. <\/p>\n
The announcement reflects growing interaction between Chinas secretive, military-linked space program and other countries.<\/p>\n
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Official: China's moon probe will carry French, Russian gear - The Associated Press<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" BEIJING (AP) China will launch its next robot lunar lander in 2024, and it will carry equipment from France, Sweden, Russia and Italy, the official news agency reported. Continue reading