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Thai lunar weather instrument set to join China’s Chang’e 7 mission to the moon

  • The sensor to be mounted on the lunar orbiter will measure the moon’s magnetic field, monitor solar storms and study cosmic rays
  • The Thai instrument is among seven international payloads selected to fly with China’s planned 2026 Chang’e 7 lunar mission

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A Thai-developed instrument to study weather on the moon will be included in China’s 2026 Chang’e 7 lunar mission. Photo: Shutterstock
Ling Xinin Ohio
A scientific instrument to study space weather and cosmic rays, currently being developed by scientists in Thailand, will ride with China’s Chang’e 7 lunar mission, it has been revealed.
The Sino-Thai Sensor Package for Space Weather Global Monitoring from the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) is among seven international payloads selected to fly with the Chang’e 7 mission in 2026. It is currently in the engineering design phase, according to project manager Peerapong Torteeka.
The 3kg instrument, to be mounted on the Chang’e 7 orbiter, will contain a magnetic sensor which will point down towards the moon to monitor the magnetic field and send alerts to Earth during space weather events such as solar storms, he said.
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Another detector, pointing upwards, will study low-energy cosmic rays in energy ranges that have never been continuously monitored before.

“Last year, when China solicited proposals for international payloads for Chang’e 7, we decided to pitch something on the orbiter because we have limited experience with how things work on the surface of the moon,” Peerapong said.

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A couple of months later, he said the team was excited – and a little surprised – to learn that their proposal came second in the preliminary selection conducted by the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

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