HELSINKI — As both countries ramp up their lunar exploration ambitions
China and the United States have identified overlapping potential landing sites at the moon's south pole.
The partially overlapping lunar landing plans highlight the renewed interest in specific lunar resources
NASA announced earlier this month the selection of 13 potential locations for the crewed Artemis 3 mission, which is currently scheduled to launch in late 2025.
NASA candidate landing sites, each measuring about 15 by 15 kilometres, are within six degrees of latitude of the south pole.
a Chinese journal article authored by Chang'e-4 lunar mission commander Zhang He and others on potential lunar south pole landing sites identifies ten suitable spots near the lunar south pole.
The locations are thought to be related to China's Chang'e-7 mission, which is currently scheduled for 2024.