Spacecraft Chang'e-6 Lands on Moon's Far Side: China
- By Thetripurapost Web Desk, Beijing
- Jun 02, 2024
- 200
Chinese spacecraft landed on the far side of the moon on Sunday in a first-of-its-kind effort to collect soil and rock samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region of the moon and the well-known near side.
The near side of the moon is the lunar hemisphere that is always facing the Earth, that is, opposite to the far side. According to the China National Space Administration, Chang'e-6 landed for the first time in human history in a huge crater called the South Pole-Aitken Basin at 6:23 am local time in Beijing.
Chang'e-6 consists of an orbiter, a returner, a lander and an ascender. The mission is named after China's mythological moon goddess. One of the most complex attempts involved the use of an autonomous visual obstacle avoidance system to detect obstacles for landing on the lunar surface, state news agency Xinhua reported.
A light camera selected a relatively safe landing spot based on the light and darkness on the lunar surface. The Chang'e-6 mission is tasked with collecting and returning samples from the far side of the moon, a first of its kind attempt. India last year became the first country to land near the less explored south pole of the moon.
Its Chandrayaan-3 lander carrying the Pragyan rover had successfully landed there. Sending a mission to the far side of the moon is more difficult because it is not facing the Earth, due to which a relay satellite is needed to maintain communication. Also, this part is more rugged where there is very little flat land for the lander to land.
Chang'e-6 is scheduled to collect samples within two days after landing on the moon. It has adopted two methods to collect samples from the moon, including using a drill to collect subsurface samples and collecting samples from the surface through robots.
This is the first time China has included an orbiter from its ally Pakistan in its lunar mission. Earlier in 2020, Chang'e 5 also collected samples from the nearest part of the Moon. China also plans to establish a lunar station on the Moon in the future.
The Chang'e-6 program has been launched amid growing rivalry with the US and other countries including Japan and India. China has established its own space station in space and regularly sends crew members there.
China, which has emerged as a major space power, has previously sent unmanned missions to the moon, including a rover. It has also sent a rover to Mars and built a space station that is still operational.
China aims to put a man on the moon before 2030, becoming the second country to do so after the US. The US is planning to send astronauts to the moon again for the first time in more than 50 years.