BEIJING — TO chinese spaceship landed on the far side of the moon on Sunday to collect soil and rock samples that could provide insight into the differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side.
The lander touched down at 6:23 a.m. Beijing time in a huge crater known as the South Pole Aitken Basin, the China National Space Administration said.
The mission is the sixth in the Chang’e lunar exploration program, which is named after a Chinese lunar goddess. It is the second designed to bring samples, after the Chang’e 5who did it from the near side in 2020.
The lunar program is part of a growing rivalry with the United States (still a leader in space exploration) and others, including Japan and India. China has launched its own space station into orbit and periodically send crews there.
The emerging global power aims put a person on the moon before 2030, which would make it the second nation after the United States to do so. The United States plans to return astronauts to the moon, for the first time in more than 50 years, although NASA delayed the scheduled date until 2026 earlier this year.
American efforts to use private sector rockets to launch spacecraft have been repeatedly delayed. Last minute computer problem rejected planned launch of Boeing’s first astronaut flight on Saturday.
Earlier on Saturday, a Japanese billionaire canceled his plan orbit the moon due to uncertainty about the development of a mega rocket by SpaceX. NASA plans to use the rocket to send its astronauts to the moon.
In China’s current mission, the lander will use a mechanical arm and drill to collect up to 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of surface and underground material over about two days.
An ascender atop the lander will then carry the samples in a metal vacuum container to another lander orbiting the moon. The container will be transferred to a reentry capsule that will return to Earth in the deserts of China’s Inner Mongolia region around June 25.
Missions to the far side of the Moon are more difficult because it is not facing Earth, requiring a relay satellite to maintain communications. The terrain is also more rugged, with fewer flat areas to land on.
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