CHINA may have placed a secret mini-rover on the Chang’e-6 moon rocket, which is currently on its way to the far side of the Moon, new images reveal.
The Chang’e-6 mission was supposed to place a lander on the lunar surface to retrieve samples of rocks and dirt from the side of the Moon that we never see.
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China disclosed that the spacecraft would also carry payloads from France, Sweden, Italy and Pakistan to the Moon.
But sharp-eyed observers spotted a small, four-wheeled object strapped to the side of the lander before liftoff, which has not previously been reported, thanks to new images.
“It looks like a previously unrevealed mini rover on the side of the Chang’e-6 lander,” said space reporter Andrew Jones, who closely monitors China’s space missions. he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
It’s unclear what the rover intends to do.
But the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, which provided components for the mission, suggested that the undisclosed robot has an infrared imaging spectrometer.
Future astronauts are expected to use tools like this to locate resources, such as water, to support long-term habitation on the Moon.
NASA’S FEARS
It may not be the first time China has sent a secret payload to the Moon.
US researchers believe that the Chinese Chang’e-5 T-1 experimental spacecraft, launched in 2014 and which crashed on the Moon in 2022, also carried classified cargo.
NASA chief Bill Nelson has been outspoken about his fears surrounding China’s activities in space – which Beijing says are purely scientific.
In his most recent comments, Nelson warned that China is hiding secret military projects in space, which could lead Beijing to try to claim the Moon as its own territory.
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INSIDE CHANG’E-6
China successfully launched the lander aboard a Long March 5 rocket on May 3.
The probe is scheduled to land on the Moon next month.
The mission, carried out entirely via a relay satellite orbiting the Moon, will see the first samples from the lunar dark side collected and sent back to Earth.
It is expected to land in the Aitken Basin at the lunar south pole, which is about 2,500 km (1,553 miles) wide and up to 8 km (5 miles) deep.
Chang’e-6 is believed to be being sent to collect 2 kg of rock and dirt samples from the moon’s surface.
The mission aims to collect important data that will allow astronauts to return to the Moon by 2030.
Both the US and China are competing for the first permanent lunar base at the lunar south pole, which will be needed to take humans to Mars and beyond.
Why the lunar south pole?
The lunar south pole has been a place of interest for all spacefaring nations, including India, Russia, China and the USA.
The south polar region is one of the most resource-dense areas on the Moon.
Last year, India made history by becoming the first country to land near the southern site.
A few days earlier, Russia also made a landing attempt at the South Pole, which ended in a forced landing.
NASA’s Artemis III mission aims to explore a region close to the lunar south pole.
The Artemis III mission is part of a decade-long program that is expected to culminate with a permanent lunar base by the end of the decade.
The south pole is, scientists believe, the most promising location for water-based ice, which will be critical to future human habitation on the Moon.
Scientists also calculate that there is an abundance of helium-3 in so-called “cold traps” spread across the South Pole, which could help produce enormous amounts of energy here on Earth.
If scientists are right, and if there really is an abundance of helium-3 on the Moon, humans could use it as fuel within the next century.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
