| Mission type | Lander,lunar rover, robot[1] |
|---|---|
| Operator | CNSA |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | CAST |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 2028 (planned)[1] |
| Rocket | Long March 5 |
| Launch site | Wenchang |
| Moon lander | |
| Landing site | Shackleton-de Gerlache ridge, or Leibnitz Beta, or Amundsen (crater), or Cabeus (crater)[1] |
Chang'e 8 (Chinese:嫦娥八号;pinyin:Cháng'é báhào) is a planned robotic mission by China to explore the lunar south pole and to establish the technical predicate for the futureInternational Lunar Research Station (ILRS). The mission is expected to launch in 2028 and will include a lander, a rover, and a robot.[1][2]
China intends to launch the Chang'e 8 mission as part of its plan to construct the International Lunar Research Station during the 2030s. Chang'e 8 will follow in the footsteps of theChang'e 7 mission, planned for 2026, and continue the latter mission's physical investigation of the lunar south pole region while pursuing new experiments such asin-situ resource utilization, which may include testing the feasilibity of 3D-printing on the lunar surface.[3] The mission will serve as the basis for a larger scale robotic and crewed lunar research station during the ensuing decade.[1]
The mission will include 200 kilograms of "piggyback" payload capacity available for international instruments.CNSA has set December 31, 2023 as the deadline for the submission of letters of intent by interested parties to contribute payloads to the mission.[4]
Starvision Aerospace Group Limited, a Chinese commercial satellite design and data analysis company,Zhejiang University, and Turkiye'sMiddle East Technical University also will jointly develop two 5-kilogram micro-robots for the mission in order to facilitate lunar surface exploration. In addition, the mission will feature a larger 100-kilogram roving robot to delpoy and install instruments and to otherwise explore the lunar surface; the development of this larger robot is being led by theHong Kong University of Science and Technology and involves several Chinese Universities, theShanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, and theSouth African National Space Agency.[5]
Wang Qiong, deputy chief designer of the Chang'e-8 mission, indicated possible lunar south pole landing areas include the following regions: Leibnitz Beta, Amundsen crater, Cabeus crater, and the ridge connecting the Shackleton and de Gerlache craters.[1]
In the October 2023 document that accompaniedCNSA's announcement of international cooperation opportunities for the Chang'e 8 mission, the following mission aims are listed:[4]
The Chang'e-8 mission has offered 200kg (440lb) of payload capacity for interested countries.[6][7]
In an MoU signed on February 5th, 2025 byPresident of PakistanAsif Ali Zardari, andPresident of China,Xi Jinping,Pakistan will launch its firstLunar Rover aboard the Chang'e-8 mission as a part of the wider ILSR program. Reportedly,SUPARCO will provide a 35-kilogram rover for lunar exploration.[8][9]
Currently, the science payloads on the mission include the following:[1][4]
Lander
Rover
