Russia and China have joined forces in lunar exploration — two Russian scientific instruments will go into space aboard the Chinese Chang'e-8 mission in addition to the already planned Russian Luna-27 mission. This will provide the most accurate data on the lunar exosphere.
The Chinese mission will include the ALIEN-CE8 ion energy-mass analyzer and the LPDE-CE8 experimental complex. These devices are exact copies of devices previously developed for the Russian Luna-27 mission. ALIEN-CE8 will analyze the composition and energy of ions in the lunar exosphere (this is the name of the outer layer of the atmosphere made of rarefied hydrogen and helium, bordering space), and LPDE-CE8 will study the plasma-dust environment around Earth's satellite.
The joint use of data from duplicate devices on two different spacecraft will give scientists a unique opportunity to obtain the most complete and accurate picture of the processes occurring on the Moon. This is especially important for assessing potential risks when creating future lunar bases.
The launch of the Chinese Chang'e-8 mission is scheduled for 2028. It will be an important step in the implementation of the project to create an International Scientific Lunar Station, where Russia and China are key partners.
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