Plans for China’s “space dream” have accelerated under Xi Jinping. (File)
Wenchang, China:
China is set to launch a probe on Friday to collect samples from the far side of the Moon, a world first, as Beijing pushes ahead with an ambitious program that aims to send a manned lunar mission by 2030.
A rocket carrying the Chang’e-6 lunar probe is scheduled to lift off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern China’s Hainan province shortly before 5:30 pm (0930 GMT), officials said.
It is the latest leap forward for China’s ambitious space program, which Washington has warned is being used to mask military objectives and an effort to establish extraterrestrial dominance.
Chang’e-6 aims to collect about two kilograms of lunar samples from the far side of the Moon and bring them back to Earth for analysis.
It is a technically complex 53-day mission that will also allow for an unprecedented launch from the side of the Moon that always faces away from Earth.
“Chang’e-6 will collect samples from the far side of the Moon for the first time,” Ge Ping, deputy director of the China Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center, told reporters.
The probe is expected to land in the immense South Pole-Aitken Basin, one of the largest known impact craters in the solar system.
Once there, it will collect lunar soil and rocks and perform other experiments at the landing zone.
He must then take off from the surface of the Moon and retrace his steps back home.
Space dream
Plans for China’s “space dream” have accelerated under President Xi Jinping.
Beijing has invested enormous resources in its space program over the past decade, pursuing a series of ambitious ventures in an effort to bridge the gap with the two traditional space powers – the United States and Russia.
The country has achieved several notable achievements, including building a space station called Tiangong, or “heavenly palace,” to which it sent a new crew of three astronauts last month.
Beijing has landed robotic vehicles on Mars and the Moon, making China only the third country to independently put humans into orbit.
China aims to send a manned mission to the Moon by 2030 and plans to build a base on the lunar surface.
The United States also plans to put astronauts back on the Moon by 2026 with the Artemis 3 mission.
The rapid advancement of China’s space program has set off alarm bells in Washington, with the head of NASA warning last month that the US was now in a “race” against Beijing.
“We believe that much of the so-called civilian space program is a military program,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
Dark side of the Moon
Chang’e-6 is the first of three unmanned missions to the Moon planned by China this decade.
Its successor, Chang’e-7, will scour the lunar south pole for water, while Chang’e-8 will attempt to establish the technical feasibility of building a planned base known as the International Lunar Research Station, with Beijing saying that ” basic model” will be completed by 2030.
Scientists say the dark side of the Moon – so called because it is invisible from Earth, not because it never catches the sun’s rays – holds great promise for research, as its craters are less covered by ancient lava flows than the Moon. than the near side.
This could mean it is more possible to collect material that sheds light on how the Moon formed.
“The samples collected by Chang’e-6 will have a geological age of approximately 4 billion years,” Ge said.
“Collecting lunar samples from different regions and geological ages and carrying out experiments is of great value and significance to humanity.”
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