Phase four of China's lunar exploration program has obtained state approval and is proceeding smoothly, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced on Saturday, following the country's announcement of the discovery of new mineral Changesite-(Y) on September 9.

The Phase-4 lunar mission, consisting of the Chang'e-6, -7, and -8, is to be carried out successively in 10 years with the aims of exploring the moon's South Pole region and building a basic structure for the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), said Liu Jizhong, director of Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center under the CNSA.

The Chang'e-6 will be sent to retrieve samples from the far side of the moon and return them to Earth. 

"The production of the Chang'e-6 probe has almost been completed. To better understand the moon, given that the Chang'e-4 went to the far side of the moon for the first time, we, after discussions with engineers and scientists, decided to have the Chang'e-6 probe to retrieve samples from the far side of the moon and return them to Earth. So the samples will be much more valuable," Liu told China Media Group (CMG).

The fourth phase of China's lunar exploration program has obtained state approval and is proceeding smoothly, the China National Space Administration announced on September 10, 2022. /CMG

According to the CNSA, the exploration of the South Pole will be completed by Chang'e-6 and -7, while Chang'e-8 will feature key technologies for lunar surface tests and preliminary exploration for the construction of the ILRS.

Liu said the Chang'e-7 probe is under development. 

"The purpose of our missions is to lay the foundation for building a lunar station, so there are a lot of technologies to be tackled and we need to explore the energy on the moon. Great challenges lay ahead of us. However, with our previous experiences and an excellent team, I believe we will succeed."