A Chinese spaceship landed successfully on the far side of the Moon on Sunday, marking a major achievement for the country and a growing 21st century space race with the U.S.
The Chang’e-6 lunar probe – named after the mythical Chinese moon goddess – touched down at around 6:30 am Beijing time in the South Pole-Aitken Basin, a large crater. The probe is set to collect samples of rocks and soil from the surface that could provide valuable information about how the far side of the Moon, less explored, compares to the near side.
The mission “involves many engineering innovations, high risks and great difficulty,” the China National Space Administration said in a statement. declaration. “The payloads carried by the Chang’e-6 lander will function as planned and carry out scientific exploration missions.”
Using a small robotic shovel and a drill, the probe will collect about two kilograms of surface material that will be launched into lunar orbit with a small rocket and collected by an orbiting spacecraft.
No other country has landed a probe on the far side of the Moon, and Chang’e-6 is China’s second. Missions to the far side of the Moon are especially difficult due to communication challenges and its deep craters.
The probe was launched early last month, with the mission expected to last about another month. Two other spacecraft reached the Moon this year, one from Japan and the other from the North American startup Intuitive Machines.
Chang’e-6 is China’s sixth lunar exploration as it invests heavily in space exploration. The country also operates its own manned space station, in rivalry with the International Space Station, and says it will put astronauts on the Moon by 2030.
This mission would make the country the second country to put astronauts on the Moon, after the USA. No one has set foot on the Moon since 1972, although NASA has plans to return in 2026 at the earliest.
The American-led Artemis missions are planned to have significant support from private space companies and are in partnership with Canadian, European and Japanese space agencies.
Boeing’s Starliner program, the company’s first step into private spaceflight, has faced repeated delays in attempts to launch its first spacecraft this month.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
