China plans to send a flying robot to search for water on the moon’s far side

China plans to send a flying robot to the far side of the moon next year to search for the frozen water that could hold the key to future lunar exploration, as the country pushes forward with its ambitious space program.

The robotic “flying detector” will be deployed to the lunar south pole as part of China’s Chang’e-7 mission, which aims to bring the country closer to landing astronauts on the moon within five years, state media reported on Monday.

China has mounted a significant effort to establish itself as a major player in space – a domain that nations, including the United States, are increasingly looking to not only for scientific benefit, but also with an eye to resources and national security.

Finding water on the moon would be nothing new, however. Last year, Chinese scientists found water in soil samples from the Chang’e-5 lunar probe, while NASA and Indian spacecraft have previously spotted what they believe to be water on the moon’s surface.

But some scientists believe only ice – thought to be preserved deep in craters on the moon’s far side – could potentially support future lunar missions as a water source for astronauts.

And the search for lunar ice is part of China’s preparations to build a research base at the moon’s south pole, Chinese space experts told state broadcaster CCTV.

“There are some very deep caves at the south pole of the moon, and we think there may be water there,” Wu Weiren, chief designer of China’s Lunar Exploration Project, told CCTV. “We hope the flying detector can conduct on-site inspections into one or two caves after landing.”

Finding ice deposits could potentially help sustain human life on the moon one day, the Chinese experts said, adding it would significantly reduce the cost of space missions – and suggest the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

Other experts have previously told CNN that though discoveries of lunar water open doors for future exploration, we can’t yet use those findings to plant crops on the moon or extract drinkable water; these depend on many factors such as how abundant the water is, and the chemical form they take.

Flying robot

The China National Space Administration has in recent years carried out a series of increasingly complex robotic lunar missions, including the first-ever return of lunar samples from the far side of the moon last year.

It has been angling to become the second country to land astronauts on the moon, saying its first crewed mission will take place “by 2030.”

Under that plan, the Chang’e-7 mission scheduled for 2026 aims to carry out the most detailed survey of the lunar south pole, using an orbiter, a lander, a rover – and the flying detector.

The flying robot can bend its legs and land in a similar way to humans jumping from a height, the Chinese experts told state media, though the reports did not specify how many legs it has.

The device is expected to carry out at least three leaps from sunlit areas to shadowed craters to conduct detailed analyses and potentially determine the location, quantity and distribution of ice, the experts added.

Studies have shown that lunar ice is in the darkest and coldest areas at the poles, in shadows of craters where sunlight never reaches due to the tilt of the moon’s axis. The warmest temperatures in these areas don’t go above negative-250 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tang Yuhua, deputy chief designer of the Chang’e-7 mission, said those harsh conditions would severely test the flying robot.

“To work for a long time under these circumstances is a big challenge,” he told state media.

CNN’s Simone McCarthy, Jessie Yeung and Ashley Strickland contributed reporting.

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