:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/grupoclarin/ZGXNBAV6GNALXAEYUM4UH7ANCE.jpg "China announces that it will launch its next lunar rover in the first half of the year")
BEIJING (AP) — The latest Chinese lunar exploration vehicle has arrived at the launch center in full preparations for the mission to the Moon that will take place in the first half of the year, China’s space agency said.
State broadcaster CCTV posted photos of the tarp-covered rover on its website being unloaded from a cargo plane earlier this week and then transported on a flatbed truck to the Wenchang launch center on Hainan island. in the south of the country.
The announcement came a day after a U.S. company abandoned a planned Feb. 23 moon landing due to a fuel leak that began shortly after the probe lifted off on Monday.
China and the United States have plans to land astronauts back on the moon in what has become a growing space rivalry. The Americans plan to do it in 2026, while Beijing’s goal is to achieve it before 2030.
The Chinese National Space Administration said its Chang’e-6 probe will undergo pre-launch testing. Among the objectives of the mission is to bring samples from the far side of the Moon.
Another American lander, this one from a Houston company, is scheduled to launch next month.
Four countries — the United States, Russia, China and India — have taken probes to the lunar surface, but only American astronauts have set foot on the satellite.