A team linked to the China National Space Administration (CNSA) plans to build a greenhouse on the surface of the Moon to support future long-duration missions. The proposal was presented this Wednesday (22) by engineers from the Chinese space program.
According to the engineer Wang Qiongfrom the CNSA Lunar Exploration Center, the idea is to use lunar soil to create a structure capable of protecting rovers and robots from the extreme conditions of the so-called “lunar night”.
This period lasts about 14 Earth days and can record temperatures lower than -200 °Cwhich represents one of the main challenges for the continued exploration of the natural satellite.
According to the researcher, the greenhouse can facilitate long-term operations on the Moon, allowing greater resistance to equipment and equipment.
Wang also highlighted recent advances in the Chinese program with the Chang’e-6 mission, which brought to Earth, in June 2024, around 1.9 kilograms of samples from the far side of the Moon — something unprecedented until then.
Analysis of this material helped reveal new data about the formation and evolution of this region of the satellite. The mission also featured international cooperation, taking scientific equipment from countries such as France, Italy and the European Space Agency.
Chinese and Lua
China has only sent robots to the Moon to date, but these missions have highlighted the country’s rapidly improving space capabilities and will play a key role in achieving its goal of sending an astronaut to the Moon by 2030.
Although China has kept the details under wraps, here’s what we know about the country’s manned lunar exploration program.
China is preparing all the necessary equipment to carry out a manned landing. Last August, it tested the lunar module that hopes to take the first Chinese to the Moon by 2030.
The lander’s ascent and descent systems underwent a thorough check at a site in Hebei province designed to simulate the lunar surface. The test surface had a special coating to imitate the reflectivity of the lunar soil, in addition to being covered with rocks and craters.
