China’s Chang’e-6 Probe Returns with First-Ever Samples from Moon’s Far Side
Image Source: Moneycontrol
China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe successfully landed on Tuesday in Inner Mongolia, becoming the first mission to bring back samples from the moon’s far side. The re-entry capsule touched down at 2:07 p.m. Beijing time (0607 GMT), carrying lunar soil collected from the South Pole-Aitken Basin, an impact crater on the side of the moon that always faces away from Earth, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Following the successful landing, Zhang Kejian, head of the China National Space Administration, announced the mission’s completion. The accomplishment was praised by Chinese President Xi Jinping as a “landmark” in China’s efforts to become a space and technological superpower.
The Chang’e-6 probe’s mission launched on May 3 from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan Island. After a 53-day mission, the probe collected samples that will be transported to Beijing for analysis. Although it is unclear if the planned 2 kg of samples were collected, the material will be studied by Chinese and international scientists to learn more about the formation of Earth, the Moon, and the solar system.
This mission builds on the success of the Chang’e-5 mission, which returned samples from the near side of the moon. These samples led to the discovery of new minerals and provided more accurate estimates of the moon’s geological age.
China’s achievement comes as the exploration of lunar resources and the militarization of space gain geopolitical significance. NASA administrator Bill Nelson has noted the intensifying “space race” between China and the United States. Despite geopolitical tensions, European space agencies and scientists are collaborating with Chinese counterparts on data and samples from China’s lunar missions.
Neil Melville-Kenney, a technical officer at the European Space Agency (ESA), emphasized the scientific importance of the far side of the moon. “It is made of different materials than the near side and has a different history… it’s of fundamental scientific importance to get these samples back,” he said. The ESA plans to meet with the China National Space Administration in October to discuss further collaboration.
China’s lunar probe returned to Earth with samples that could answer key questions about planetary formation. The far side of the moon, which faces away from Earth, presents technical challenges due to its distance and difficult terrain of craters and few flat surfaces. Scientists are interested in this less-explored region for potential traces of ice, which could be harvested for water, oxygen, and hydrogen.
The success of the Chang’e-6 mission emphasizes China’s advancements in space exploration and its ambition to catch up with the US and Russia. China plans to send a crewed mission to the moon by 2030 and eventually build a base on the lunar south pole. The US aims to put astronauts back on the moon by 2026 with its Artemis 3 mission. The next space race may focus on controlling lunar resources.
State media showed officials planting the Chinese flag shortly after the Chang’e-6 capsule landed. President Xi Jinping congratulated the mission team and called for continued exploration of deep space to “benefit humanity and advance the nation.”
Catherine Heymans, the astronomer royal for Scotland, expressed excitement about the mission’s success. She hopes the samples will help test theories about the moon’s formation and its geological differences from Earth. “Is it very similar to the Earth? Can that confirm our theory that the Earth and the Moon were once the same thing?” she wondered.
China’s Chang’e-6 mission represents a significant step in the country’s ambitious space program and highlights the growing importance of lunar exploration in the global space race.
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