On November 16, 2024, Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) announced its plan to send a 35-kilogram rover to the Moon's south pole through China's Chang'e-8 mission, scheduled for launch in 2028.
This collaboration marks the first direct involvement of a South Asian nation in lunar exploration. The rover aims to investigate the region believed to contain valuable resources, including water ice.
The partnership between Pakistan and China began following the successful launch of the iCube Qamar probe aboard the Chang'e-6 mission in May 2024. The probe entered lunar orbit, advancing Pakistan's space exploration efforts by capturing detailed images of the Moon's surface and gathering data on its magnetic field.
Chang'e-8 will feature a lander and rover equipped with ten scientific instruments, such as a seismometer, radiometer, and multispectral thermal imaging cameras. The mission's primary objectives include studying the Moon's geology, conducting Earth observations, collecting and analyzing lunar soil samples, and testing the utilization of lunar resources.
Potential landing sites for Chang'e-8 include regions around the Leibnitz Beta plateau, Amundsen crater, Cabeus crater, and the ridge connecting Shackleton and de Gerlach craters.
The findings from Chang'e-8 are expected to lay the groundwork for the establishment of a Russian-Chinese International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), planned for construction between 2031 and 2035.