Chang'e-6 went to Earth with unprecedented samples
The Chinese lunar probe made the first successful takeoff from the far side of the Moon. Chinese state media hails “unprecedented feat” as Chang'e 6 heads back to Earth with samples.
The Chinese space agency said the Chinese probe that brought samples from the far side of the moon has begun its journey back to Earth, a world first and a major achievement for Beijing's space program .
The ascending module of the probe “Chang'e-6” "teared off from the surface of the Moon" and entered a predetermined orbit around the moon, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said.
It was the first spacecraft to successfully launch from the far side of the moon, and state news agency Xinhua called the launch “an unprecedented achievement in the world.” history of human exploration of the Moon.”
Analysis of the samples that the device will bring will allow scientists to “deepen research on the formation and evolutionary history of the Moon,” Xinhua news agency quotes the words of a representative of the Chang’e-6 mission. Ge Ping.
This will also provide a better understanding of the "origin of the solar system“…laying a stronger foundation for subsequent exploration missions”, – he said.
According to the National Space Administration of China, the Chang'e-6 module landed on Sunday in the huge basin of the Moon's South Pole – Aitken, one of the largest known impact craters in the solar system.
The technically complex 53-day mission began on May 3, recalls Agence France-Press.
W Chang'e- 6, there are two sampling methods: a drill to collect material below the surface and a robotic arm to collect samples above the surface.
After he successfully collected his samples, the “Chinese national flag that the lander carried, was first deployed on the far side of the Moon”, – says the CNSA.
Scientists say the dark side of the Moon, so named because it is invisible from Earth and not because it never receives sunlight, holds great promise for exploration because its craters are less covered by ancient lava flows than the near side.
Material collected from the far side may shed more light on how the Moon formed in the first place.
Under President Xi Jinping, plans to realize China's “space dream” were completed. Over the past decade, Beijing has poured enormous resources into its space program, targeting a series of ambitious endeavors in an attempt to close the gap with the two traditional space powers – USA and Russia, notes Agence France-Press.
Beijing has several notable achievements, including the construction of a space station called Tiangong, or Heavenly Palace. Beijing has delivered robotic rovers to Mars and the Moon, and China is only the third country to put humans into orbit on its own.
However, Washington said China's space program disguises military goals and is an attempt to establish dominance in space, it stressed. Agence France-Press.
China aims to send a crewed mission to the Moon by 2030 and plans to build a base on the lunar surface. The United States, for its part, also plans to return astronauts to the Moon by 2026, as part of its Artemis 3 mission.
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