China is set to make history once again with the launch of the Chang’e 6 mission on Friday. This mission marks the first-ever attempt to collect rock and soil samples from the far side of the moon.
The 53-day mission will send a spacecraft to the side of the moon that always faces away from Earth. The goal is to collect approximately 4.4 pounds of material from the lunar surface. The landing site within the South Pole-Aitken basin is of particular interest, as it is believed to be the site of an impact that occurred over 4 billion years ago. Scientists hope that the samples collected will provide new insights into the moon’s geological evolution.
To obtain these samples, the mission will use a scooper and a drill to collect material from the surface and as deep as 2 meters below. Communication with the far side mission will be facilitated by the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, which was launched in March 2024.
Once the samples have been collected, they will be transferred back to Earth via the reentry module carried by the orbiter. This mission marks the second sample return mission for the China National Space Administration (CNSA) following the success of Chang’e 5 in 2020. With this achievement, China becomes the third country to successfully return moon samples to Earth.
Looking ahead, the CNSA has ambitious plans for future lunar missions, including detailed surveys of the moon’s south pole and testing technology for a lunar science base. As China continues to make strides in space exploration, the world eagerly anticipates the discoveries and advancements that these missions will bring.
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