China's lunar lander successfully touched down on the far side of the moon on Sunday morning, the country's space agency announced, taking a step toward its goal of bringing back the first samples from a part of the moon that will never be seen by Earthlings.
this Chang'e 6 unmanned probe The China National Space Administration said in a statement that Chang'e-4 landed in the lunar South Pole-Aitken Basin at 6:23 a.m. statement.
The Agency Posted a video The landing camera captured the scene as the probe landed. In the video, the cratered lunar surface gets closer and closer as the lander descends.
Chang'e-6, named after the Chinese moon goddess, is the second spacecraft to land on the far side of the moon. Its predecessor, Chang'e-4, made history in 2019 by becoming the first spacecraft to do so.
The back of the moon is completely different from the front. The United States, China and the then The Soviet Union has already collected samples. The moon has a thicker crust, more craters, and fewer maria (plains where lava once flowed). It's not clear why the two sides of the moon are so different; samples collected by Chang'e 6 could provide some clues.
The South Pole-Aitkin Basin is a massive impact crater that is about 1,600 miles wide and one of the largest in the history of the solar system. The impact that formed the basin is believed to have scooped material from the moon's mantle. If this material can be found, it will help scientists further understand the history of the moon's interior.
China is the only country to date to have sent probes to the far side of the moon, and these missions are part of its growing space ambitions. In an increasingly competitive global environmentThe country has succeeded Launched a mission to Mars And plan Future visits to asteroids. it is also The goal is to send humans to the moon by 2030which would make China the second country to do so after the United States.
Chang'e 6 is the third spacecraft to land on the moon this year. Japan Became the fifth country in the world to set foot on the surface of the moon Its Smart Lander for lunar exploration touched down there in January. Odysseus is a privately operated spacecraft built by Houston-based Intuitive Machines. February landing.
Chang'e-6 was launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on Hainan Island in southern China on May 3. It reached the moon on May 8. China's space agency saidThe agency said the descent took about 14 minutes, with the probe using cameras and 3D laser scanning to avoid obstacles as it touched down.
The agency said the probe will spend about two days collecting samples, gathering rocks and soil from the lunar surface while drilling underground to collect subsurface samples.
It will then spend a few more weeks in lunar orbit to prepare for a five-day return to Earth. The entire mission is expected to take about 53 days. According to the agency.
The mission to the far side of the moon is complicated by the fact that it is impossible to establish direct communications with probes there.
In 2018, China sent a Queqiao satellite into lunar orbit to relay information from Chang'e-4 back to Earth. In March, China launched a second satellite. The two satellites will work together to keep in touch with Chang'e-6 as it collects samples.
Wang Zixu Contributed reporting.
