All about China
China has taken another step towards its goal of sending manned missions to the Moon and building permanent lunar bases in the future. The country launched the first high-definition geological atlas of our planet’s natural satellite.
read more
Lunar atlas presents a variety of information
- The work presents basic mapping data for the future of lunar research and exploration.
- For example, information about the history of the Moon is offered, in addition to the distribution of resources mapped so far.
- The atlas is available in Chinese and English.
- It depicts the surface of the Moon at a scale of 1:2.5 million.
- It also highlights many lunar geological features, such as impact craters.
- The information is from Space.com.
Mapping is part of China’s efforts
Chinese scientists and cartographers began drawing the map in 2012. To do so, they relied on information from several space missions sent to the Moon by Beijing.
In recent years, the country has launched a series of lunar probes, including Chang’e 1 and Chang’e 2, which have been tasked with mapping the lunar surface. Other missions have placed landers and rovers on the far side of the Moon (Chang’e 3 in 2013 and Chang’e 4 in 2019, respectively), while Chang’e 5 collected soil samples in 2020.
The creation of the atlas is part of a larger effort by the Chinese authorities. The Chinese government plans to build a lunar base, known as the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), in the 2030s. Furthermore, it wants to place its first astronauts on the Moon before then.
