China’s Chang’e-6 successfully lands on moon’s far side for rare sample collection
"The sampling on the far side of the moon includes both drilling and surface sampling methods, and scientific exploration on the far side of the moon will also be carried out", CNSA said..
China’s Chang’e-6 lunar mission has made a successful landing on the moon’s far side. It will begin lunar sampling upon landing in the South Pole-Aitken Basin.
The China Space National Administration (CNSA) stated that Chang’e-6 “made history as the second successful probe to land on the far side of the moon and the first sample-return probe to do so.”
China’s Chang’e-6 Expands Lunar Exploration and Resource Harvesting Efforts
In addition to its primary task of gathering samples, Chang’e 6 also carried a miniature lunar rover. When it is put into use, it will be China’s third lunar rover following the larger Yutu-1 and Yutu-2.
This occurs in the midst of other nations’ efforts, notably China’s adversary the United States, to harvest lunar resources in order to establish moon bases and support long-term astronaut expeditions.
“The sampling on the far side of the moon includes both drilling and surface sampling methods, and scientific exploration on the far side of the moon will also be carried out,” CNSA said.
India made history last year by becoming the first country to successfully land near the little-explored lunar south pole region. The Chandrayaan-3 mission achieved this feat with its lander, which carried the Pragyaan rover.
China’s Chang’e-6 is set to land at the Apollo Basin, an impact crater located within the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin.
Following the landing, the probe is scheduled to complete its sampling mission within two days. The Chang’e-6 will utilize two methods for Moon sampling: drilling to collect subsurface samples and using a robotic arm to grab surface samples. Due to the Moon’s obstruction, the communication window period with Earth on the far side is shorter than on the near side, even with the Queqiao-2 relay satellite. Consequently, the Chang’e-6’s sampling time will be reduced to about 14 hours, compared to the 22 hours used by its predecessor, Chang’e-5.
The Chang’e lunar exploration probe is named after the Chinese mythical Moon goddess.
The Chang’e-5 mission brought back samples from the Moon’s near side, which contained water in tiny beads embedded in lunar soil. China has announced plans to establish a lunar station on the Moon in the future. As a major space power, China has successfully launched unmanned missions to the Moon, including landing a rover. They have also sent a rover to Mars and built a space station currently in operation.
China aims for a manned lunar landing by 2030, with plans to land astronauts on the Moon and build a research base at its south pole, a region believed to contain water ice.
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