China continues to do in space what America and Russia have not. They are now a major player on the exploration front all thanks to stolen tech from the United States, but that’s another story…
Material recently collected from the far side of the moon is now on its way to Earth, marking a significant milestone in lunar exploration. The Chang’e-6 mission, conducted by the China National Space Administration (CNSA), successfully launched its ascent vehicle from the Apollo crater on the moon’s far side at 7:38 p.m. Eastern on June 3. This event follows the successful landing of Chang’e-6 on June 1 and the subsequent collection of up to 2,000 grams of lunar rock and regolith.
Stunning footage of the Chang'e 6 Lunar Lander Operating on the Moon.
Just released footage of the spacecraft collecting soil and rock samples from the Moon's far side.Ascent stage has already left the Moon with the collected samples, scheduled to return to Earth on June 25. pic.twitter.com/YyltuB2Yfy
— Toby Li (@tobyliiiiiiiiii) June 4, 2024
The mission involved complex operations, including the use of a scoop and drill to gather samples, which were then loaded into the ascent vehicle. According to Li Xiaoyu, an engineer from the Beijing Aerospace Control Center, the packaging of these samples was completed smoothly under normal conditions. The ascent vehicle achieved autonomous positioning and attitude determination with assistance from the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, launched earlier in March to enable communication with the lunar far side.
The ascent vehicle is set to rendezvous and dock with the mission’s service module in orbit, a procedure expected to occur within days of the launch. This is a critical phase where the sample canisters will be transferred to a reentry module through an automated process, after which the ascent vehicle will be discarded. The reentry module is scheduled to return to Earth around June 25, landing in Inner Mongolia.
Wow, just happened!
🇨🇳China's national flag unfurled on the far side of 🌑the moon by Chang'e-6 probe!It is the first time an actual flag, which is made of a new type of composite material, has been displayed on the far side of the moon! pic.twitter.com/RnyVmnj6oN
— Li Jingjing 李菁菁 (@Jingjing_Li) June 4, 2024
This mission not only serves as a direct follow-up to the successful Chang’e-5 mission of 2020, which returned lunar samples from the near side, but also plays a crucial role in advancing China’s ambitions in space exploration. The experience gained from the Chang’e-6 mission will support future endeavors, including manned lunar missions and deep space exploration like the upcoming Tianwen-2 asteroid and comet mission and the Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission, planned around 2030.
Chang’e-6, comprising a 8.2-ton stack of four spacecraft, was launched from Wenchang spaceport on May 3 and entered lunar orbit after approximately 4.5 days. The lander, which descended onto a region of the Apollo crater within the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin, deployed a rover that has since provided images of the landing site, including the national flag.
🚨BREAKING🚨
China has just announced that they have landed the Chang'e-6 spacecraft on the "far side" of the moon. They claim this video shows the actual landing of the spacecraft. Do you believe it? 🧐 pic.twitter.com/C8KYyRqVGL
— THE FLAT EARTHER (@TheFlatEartherr) June 3, 2024
The lander also hosts several international payloads, including the French space agency’s DORN payload to detect radon outgassing, the Swedish Institute of Space Physics’ Negative Ions at the Lunar Surface (NILS) payload, and an Italian passive laser retro-reflector. These instruments contribute to the mission’s scientific objectives, which include analyzing material that could offer insights into the moon’s geological history and the early solar system.
Looking ahead, CNSA plans to continue its lunar exploration with missions to the moon’s south pole, including Chang’e-7 in 2026 and Chang’e-8 around 2028, leading up to its ambitious goal of a manned lunar landing by 2030. These initiatives are part of a broader strategy to establish a permanent lunar base under the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) program, which aims to advance international collaboration in space research.
Major Points
- The Chang’e-6 mission successfully launched its ascent vehicle from the lunar far side, carrying up to 2,000 grams of collected moon rock and regolith back to Earth.
- The mission, orchestrated by the China National Space Administration, involved complex steps including sample collection using a scoop and drill, followed by the ascent vehicle’s launch assisted by the Queqiao-2 relay satellite.
- The ascent vehicle is expected to dock with the service module in orbit, where samples will be transferred to a reentry module scheduled to return to Earth around June 25.
- The mission enhances China’s capabilities in space, with implications for future manned lunar missions and deep space explorations such as asteroid and Mars sample return missions.
- Chang’e-6 carried several international scientific payloads and is part of a broader Chinese initiative aiming to establish a permanent lunar base and conduct further missions to the moon’s south pole.
James Kravitz – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News
