Chang'e-7 mission: Egypt, Bahrain join China to build hyperspectral camera

The Egyptian Space Agency, Bahrain's National Space Science Agency, and Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics signed an agreement for the joint development of hyperspectral camera

Egypt and Bahrain have joined China as international partners to develop and deliver scientific instruments for the Chang’e-7 mission, the Chinese lunar mission aimed at searching for water ice at the moon’s South Pole in 2026, according to a report in South China Morning Post (SCMP).

Last week, the Egyptian Space Agency, Bahrain’s National Space Science Agency, and the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics signed a cooperation agreement for the joint development of a hyperspectral camera.

On Tuesday, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced that the camera will image and analyse lunar surface materials from orbit, including the Moon’s polar regions, the report said.

Lunar exploration

In a statement, the CNSA said the project marks the first collaboration between Egypt and Bahrain on lunar exploration, with Egyptian space officials expressing a desire to deepen their partnership with China in future space missions.

Hyperspectral camera

The hyperspectral camera, developed collaboratively by Egypt and Bahrain with assistance from Chinese engineers, is one of six international payloads chosen by the CNSA for the Chang’e-7 lunar mission. The camera can provide high-quality hyperspectral data for diverse fields, such as environmental monitoring, natural resource surveys, and climate change studies.

The remaining five payloads will be provided by Thailand, Russia, Italy, Switzerland, and the International Lunar Observatory Association, a Hawaii-based non-governmental organisation.

The report quoted John Sheldon, co-founder of the London-based consultancy AstroAnalytica, as saying that the participation of Arab countries in the Chang’e-7 mission is a capacity-building initiative.

Strategic space collaboration

Sheldon said that Bahrain’s space activities focus on earth’s observations, and it seeks to “establish itself as the hub for regional space cooperation, given its modest budget and its geographical position between Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, among whom there is much competition and rivalry”.

The SCMP report quoted Sheldon as saying that Egypt is more advanced in terms of number of satellites in orbit and the establishment of a new satellite assembly, integration, and testing facility with the assistance of China. “Arab countries are willing to seek cooperative space projects with each other to build capacity, share costs, and achieve mutual strategic objectives,” he stressed.

He further said that Bahrain’s participation in China's lunar Chang’e-7 mission should be seen as a matter of opportunity rather than “some shrewd strategic calculation vis-à-vis US-China relations”. “Bahrain’s relations with the United States are almost sacrosanct, given the presence of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, and there are very few voices in Bahrain’s elites that question this relationship,” he said.

He further said that the US government's Artemis Accords do not prevent signatories from participating in other initiatives, such as the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS).