China will launch lunar probe with the ability to jump to explore areas in search of water

China has contemplated launch its next Chang’e-7 mission in 2026, with the aim of finding ice in the form of ice in the craters located in the southern pole of the moonthe state channel CCTV reported Monday.

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The Chang’e -7 mission will be equipped with an orbital and landing module, as well as with a river and a mobile probe, which will face the extreme conditions of this lunar region, including temperatures below -100 degrees Celsius and a complex land.

Wu Weiren, chief designer of the China Lunar Exploration Project, explained that the probe will have a water molecules analyzer for Check the location, quantity and distribution of ice in the craters.

He also mentioned that, once it is deployed by the landing module, the probe can perform a «Rana jump» to move from the illuminated area of ​​the Polar South Pole to these permanent shadow craters, to carry out its analysis.

Jump

The attached chief designer of the Chang’e-7 mission, Tang Yuhua, explained that, despite the fact that traditional space probes use a damping system to land only once, The mobile probe must make this same action at least three times.

For this, an innovative technique known as active landing will be used, which will allow the device to descend in a manner reliable and repeatable in different slopes. Tang commented that this action resembles when a person bends his legs when jumping from a high place to land on the floor.