China Launches Spacecraft to Collect Samples from Dark Side of the Moon.
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May 3, 2024 ·
4m
The Chang'e 6 spacecraft took off on a Long March 5 rocket from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan Island at 16:27 on May 3, Hanoi time. During its...
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The Chang'e 6 spacecraft took off on a Long March 5 rocket from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan Island at 16:27 on May 3, Hanoi time.
During its 53-day journey, Chang'e 6 will head to the South Pole-Aitken Basin (SPA) on the dark side of the Moon, which cannot be observed from Earth, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The mission will collect 2 kilograms of lunar soil and rocks from the landing site for detailed analysis. The sampling process will be aided by the Queqiao-2 satellite launched in March, currently orbiting the Moon and awaiting Chang'e 6's arrival.
Chang'e 6 was initially developed as a backup plan for the Chang'e 5 mission. In 2020, Chang'e 5 successfully transported 1.73 kilograms of samples from the lunar surface. It marked the first lunar rock samples returned to Earth since the U.S. Apollo and Soviet Luna missions five decades ago. According to Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at Harvard University specializing in rocket launch monitoring, Chang'e 6 is essentially a repeat of Chang'e 5. The only addition is the communication link with the dark side.
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During its 53-day journey, Chang'e 6 will head to the South Pole-Aitken Basin (SPA) on the dark side of the Moon, which cannot be observed from Earth, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The mission will collect 2 kilograms of lunar soil and rocks from the landing site for detailed analysis. The sampling process will be aided by the Queqiao-2 satellite launched in March, currently orbiting the Moon and awaiting Chang'e 6's arrival.
Chang'e 6 was initially developed as a backup plan for the Chang'e 5 mission. In 2020, Chang'e 5 successfully transported 1.73 kilograms of samples from the lunar surface. It marked the first lunar rock samples returned to Earth since the U.S. Apollo and Soviet Luna missions five decades ago. According to Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at Harvard University specializing in rocket launch monitoring, Chang'e 6 is essentially a repeat of Chang'e 5. The only addition is the communication link with the dark side.
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