China’s Chang’e-7 mission will take the first educational payload designed to make a flag flutter on the moon’s surface, China Media Group reports, citing the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (DSEL).
The mission, designed to be launched by 2026, will send a probe to the moon’s south pole in search of traces of water ice.
A notable aspect of this mission is the inclusion of an educational payload inspired by elementary school students from Changsha, central China’s Hunan Province. This payload is designed to make a flag appear to wave on the moon’s surface, despite the absence of an atmosphere. Using electromagnetic interactions, closed-loop wires embedded within the flag will carry alternating currents, generating magnetic fields to create the waving motion, explained Zhang Tianzhu, deputy head of the Institute of Future Technology at the DSEL.
If successful, this will mark the first instance of a flag fluttering on the lunar surface. “This initiative is intended to enhance young students’ understanding of China’s space program and inspire their interest in pursuing space exploration in the future,” Zhang added.
Additionally, the Chang’e-7 mission will carry six scientific instruments developed by six countries and one international organization, according to the China National Space Administration. The participating countries are Egypt, Bahrain, Italy, Russia, Switzerland and Thailand, along with the International Lunar Observatory Association.