The information available on these missions is limited and does not all come from official sources. The descriptions represent a somewhat speculative outline of the missions and will probably change as more information becomes available.
Chang'e 4 Lander and Rover on the Moon (Image: CNSA)
The Chang'e 6 mission is a planned lander designed to return samples from the lunar South Pole Aitken Basin. It was designed as a backup for Chang'e 5. It will land on the farside of the Moon, using the Queqiao-2 relay satellite to allow communication with the Earth. It is designed to bring back about 2 kg of samples.
Chang'e 7 is planned to make detailed surveys of the south polar region of the Moon, covering the terrain, geological composition, locations of water ice, and space environment. One of the primary objectives will be to detect water ice in permanently shadowed areas and determine its origin.
Chang'e 8 is designed to test technologies necessary to the construction of a lunar science base. It will also conduct surveys and scientific experiments.
Lunar Exploration Timeline
Moon Home Page
Moon Fact Sheet