China has reported that it plans to send a probe to the far side of the Moon in 2024. TASS Referring to the chief designer of the Chinese deep space program Wu Yanhua.
Wu said the Magpie Bridge 2 relay will launch simultaneously with the Chang’e-6 probe, which will head towards the Moon in May 2024. China’s next lunar program will include the launch of Chang’e-7 to the Moon’s South Pole. In 2026, the Chang’e-8 probe will be launched in 2028.
The Chinese scientist added that the Chang’e-7 mission should become the basis for the creation of a lunar research base.
Sergey Krikalev, Former Executive Director of Roscosmos’ Manned Space Programs allowed Joint participation of Russia and China in future manned programs.
He noted that in the future, the data of the joint Russian-Chinese lunar station project can be used for a manned program.