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China to launch robotic mission to the Moon

The Chang'e-7 lunar probe and the Long March-5 Y14 carrier rocket sits vertically on the launching area at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site Getty Images

The Chang'e-7 lunar probe and the Long March-5 Y14 carrier rocket have been transferred to the launch area at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site ready for take-off this weekend

Scientists have described it as the 'most ambitious' robotic mission to the Moon ever attempted.

China's Chang'e 7 mission aims to land closer to the Moon's exact south pole than any spacecraft has before.

If it succeeds, it will explore an area near Shackleton Crater, a huge bowl-shaped dent on the Moon's surface.

The mission will see a Long March 5 rocket launch from Wenchang space centre on the island of Hainan in southern China, early on Monday 24 August.

The mission is expected to take around six days before reaching Moon orbit.

Touchdown is expected by the end of the year when the exploration for water ice amongst the shadowy craters begins.

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An image of the Moon's Shackleton Crater, where the Chang'e-7 will be headedNASA

Chang'e-7 will head to the Moon's Shackleton Crater

The spacecraft will spend a few months orbiting the Moon taking pictures and studying possible landing places before attempting to touch down later this year.

Chang'e 7 is made up of several different parts. These include an orbiter, which travels around the Moon, a lander, a wheeled rover and a small robot that can crawl, hop and soar across the lunar surface.

The rover will drive across the surface, while the hopping robot is designed to explore places that may be too steep, dark or difficult for an ordinary rover to reach.

It will carry cameras and scientific equipment to study its surroundings and search for signs of water ice.

Scientists think water ice may have survived inside deep craters near the Moon's south pole where sunlight never reaches. These extremely cold places are known as permanently shadowed regions.

A CGI image of what the Moon base might look likeNASA

Nasa plan to build a Moon base at the south pole over the coming years

If future astronauts can collect it safely, water ice could provide drinking water and help produce oxygen and rocket fuel.

China wants to build a permanent research station on the Moon, and this mission is seen as the next step on that journey.

Nasa has also selected the region as its location to build a Moon base where future astronauts can live and work whilst exploring the Moon.

China is aiming for their first human landings on the Moon by 2030 while Nasa's Artemis IV mission hopes to achieve this in 2028 - the race is on!