Chinese lunar mission successfully retrieves soil samples from the Moon's hidden far side, marking a historic first.
"The Chang'e-6 spacecraft was set up at 14.07 hrs (local time, 08.07 hrs CEST) in Inner Mongolia, as per the Chinese space administration. It carried Earth and lunar samples from the seldom-explored side of the Moon. The spacecraft is working fine, the admin noted, suggesting that the Chang'e-6 lunar exploration mission was a total triumph.
Launched from the Wenchang Spaceport on the southern Chinese island of Hainan on May 3, Chang'e-6 reached the Moon's far side a month later, landing in the expansive South Pole-Aitken Basin. Upon landing, the spacecraft dug beneath the Moon's surface with a drill and collected samples with a robot arm, according to Xinhua. After the successful sampling, a Chinese flag was planted on the far side of the Moon for the first time by the CNSA.
Chang'e-6 is now the first ever spacecraft to bring rock samples from the far side of the Moon to Earth. Scientists expect valuable insights from these samples due to the far side's relatively un-lavacovered surface. This makes it simpler to get access to rocks that could offer insights into the Moon's creation.
China's mission is another step forward in its ambitious space program. The People's Republic aims to establish itself as a major space power, investing substantial funds into its space program under President Xi Jinping. The head honchos behind the mission will be forever commemorated by the homeland and the populace, Xi reportedly said.
With non-stop television coverage, live images from the landing site showed workers approaching the lander with multiple helicopters on standby. After putting a Chinese flag next to the lander and unfurling it, an ecstatic worker expressed their pride. Local farmers and herders in the area had been evacuated on Monday, as per Xinhua.
China accomplished its first landing on the Moon's far side with Chang'e-4 in 2019. It then bagged lunar rock for Earth as the third country, following the US and the Soviet Union, but from the near side of the Moon. In the upcoming weeks and months, the samples from the far side will be extensively analyzed.
After China, the Soviet Union, and the US, China became the fourth country to send humans into space. China also achieved the landing of a spacecraft on Mars and the establishment of the Tiangong space station, inhabited by Taikonauts since 2022. By 2030, China plans a manned lunar landing mission and aims to establish a permanent lunar base.
The US perceives the Chinese space program not only as a space race, but also as an attempt by China to pursue military goals from space. The US plans to send astronauts back to the Moon with its Artemis 3 mission, set for 2026."
Read also:
- The successful retrieval of Moon samples by the Chang'e-6 probe marks a significant milestone in space travel, as China becomes the first nation to bring rocks from the far side of the Moon back to Earth.
- The Chang'e-6 probe, which was launched from the Wenchang Spaceport in Hainan, China, carried both Earth and lunar samples for analysis.
- The USA, the Soviet Union, and now China are the only countries to have successfully sent probes to the Moon's far side, with China becoming the first to bring back samples.
- After China's Chang'e-6 mission, scientists in Beijing are eager to analyze the rock samples collected from the Moon's seldom-explored side, which could provide valuable insights into the Moon's creation.
- The Chinese space administration reported that the Chang'e-6 probe dug beneath the Moon's surface with a drill and collected samples using a robot arm, as it landed in the South Pole-Aitken Basin.
- Following the successful mission, the Chinese space agency announced plans to establish a permanent lunar base by 2030, furthering China's ambition to become a major space power, alongside the US and other nations.
- Amidst ongoing tensions with the US, China's space program continues to push boundaries, with the Chang'e-6 mission paving the way for future space exploration and scientific discoveries.
