What To Know
- About a month later, it landed in the vast South Pole-Aitken basin, one of the largest known impact craters in the solar system, on the far side of the Moon.
- It also took photographs of the lunar surface and planted a red and yellow Chinese flag in the gray soil of the far side of the Moon.
- On June 4, the probe made the first successful launch in history from the far side of the Moon, to place the collected samples in lunar orbit, where they have been since that date.
Due to its technical complexity, particularly in terms of communications, it is one of the most ambitious missions ever conducted by China in space. “At 2:07 p.m. (06:07 GMT), the Chang’e-6 return module landed” in a desert area of the Inner Mongolia region (northern China) “and everything is functioning normally,” the Chinese space agency CNSA said in a statement. “This marks the complete success of the mission” and “the first return to Earth of samples from the far side of the Moon,” it rejoiced. The capsule fell slowly from the sky thanks to a red and white parachute before touching down gently and a red and yellow Chinese flag was planted next to it, according to images broadcast by state television CCTV. The far side of the Moon is a rarely explored region. It is so called because it is invisible from Earth. It is very promising for research because its rugged features are less smoothed by ancient lava flows than those on the nearest face. Samples of soil and rock taken by Chang’e-6 could thus provide insight into the formation and history of Earth’s natural satellite. The probe was propelled into space on May 3 from the Wenchang launch center in the tropical island province of Hainan (southern China).
“Unprecedented feat”
About a month later, it landed in the vast South Pole-Aitken basin, one of the largest known impact craters in the solar system, on the far side of the Moon. The probe used a drill and a robotic arm to collect samples. It also took photographs of the lunar surface and planted a red and yellow Chinese flag in the gray soil of the far side of the Moon. On June 4, the probe made the first successful launch in history from the far side of the Moon, to place the collected samples in lunar orbit, where they have been since that date. The state news agency Xinhua called the achievement “an unprecedented feat in the history of lunar exploration.” The operation was indeed highly technical and delicate. Because the mission required the use of a Chinese relay satellite so that communication signals could be transmitted from Earth to the far side, in both directions.
Sino-American Rivalry
China has significantly developed its space programs over the past thirty years, injecting billions of euros into this sector in order to catch up with the American, Russian and European leaders. In 2019, the Asian country landed a spacecraft on the far side of the Moon, a world first. In 2020, it brought back samples from the visible side of the Moon and finalized Beidou, its satellite navigation system. In 2021, China landed a small robot on Mars. The Asian giant hopes to launch its first manned mission to the Moon by 2030. It also plans to build a lunar base. The United States is engaged in a rivalry with China in terms of its lunar program. Washington plans to send astronauts to the Moon again by 2026 with its Artemis 3 mission.
