What To Know
- On June 7, 2024, the LRO spotted the lander Chang’e 6 in the Apollo basin on the far side of the Moon.
- These images thus make it possible to visualize the impact of the landing and confirm the presence of the Chinese spacecraft on the lunar surface.
- Note that the site Chang’e 6’s landing pad is located on a marine unit, an expanse of cooled volcanic rock at the southern edge of the Apollo Basin.
NASA‘s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) recently provided captivating images of China‘s Chang’e 6 spacecraft landing on the far side of the Moon, demonstrating the ability of international space agencies to collaborate and share valuable information.
Chang’e 6 spotted from space
On June 7, 2024, the LRO spotted the lander Chang’e 6 in the Apollo basin on the far side of the Moon. The lander is visible as a small cluster of bright pixels in the center of the images captured by the orbiter’s high-resolution camera. NASA scientists also noted the presence of two similarly sized craters flanking the lander, as well as a more subtle crater about 50 meters wide nearby. Note that the increased brightness of the surrounding terrain is due to the disturbances caused by the lander enginesa phenomenon also observed around other lunar landing sites. Members of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) team have specified the coordinates of the Chang’e 6 landing site at minus 41.6385 degrees north latitude and 206.0148 degrees east longitude. They have also released an image of the same area taken on March 3, 2022 to show the difference before and after Chang’e 6 landed. These images thus make it possible to visualize the impact of the landing and confirm the presence of the Chinese spacecraft on the lunar surface. Note that the site Chang’e 6’s landing pad is located on a marine unit, an expanse of cooled volcanic rock at the southern edge of the Apollo Basin. This area features basaltic lava flows dating back to 3.1 billion years which deformed and lifted the lunar surface, creating wrinkled ridges.
Same site before (left)/after (right). Credits: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
A pioneering mission
Chang’e 6 was launched from Hainan Province, China, on May 3, 2024, with the aim of bring back the first lunar samples from the far side of the Moon. The probe’s ascending vehicle left the lunar surface with its precious cargo on June 3, 2024, marking a crucial milestone in the mission. After rendezvousing with the Chang’e 6 orbiter, the orbiter transferred the lunar samples to the return capsule. The return capsule is scheduled to return to Earth on June 25thparachuted into a pre-selected area in Siziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. The importance of this mission cannot be underestimated. The samples brought back by Chang’e 6 will indeed provide crucial information on the geology of the far side of the Moon, a region that remains largely unknown. In particular, the data collected could help to resolve fundamental questions about the history of the Moon and the evolution of its environment.
