This week, China is expected to launch Chang’e-6 using the backup spacecraft from the 2020 mission, and collect soil and rocks from the side of the moon that permanently faces away from Earth.
With no direct line of sight with the Earth, Chang’e-6 must rely on a recently deployed relay satellite orbiting the moon during its 53-day mission, including a never-before attempted ascent from the moon’s “hidden” side on its return journey home.
The same relay satellite will support the uncrewed Chang’e-7 and 8 missions in 2026 and 2028, respectively, when China starts to explore the south pole for water and build a rudimentary outpost with Russia.
On Chang’e-6, China will carry payloads from France, Italy, Sweden and Pakistan, and on Chang’e-7, payloads from Russia, Switzerland and Thailand.
Under the separate NASA-led Artemis programme, U.S. astronauts will land near the south pole in 2026, the first humans on the moon since 1972.
SOUTH POLE AMBITIONS Chang’e 6 will attempt to land on the northeastern side of the vast South Pole-Aitkin Basin, the oldest known impact crater in the solar system.
The south pole has been described by scientists as the “golden belt” for lunar exploration.
“If successful, China’s Chang’e-6 mission would be a milestone-making event,” Leonard David, author of “Moon Rush: The New Space Race”, told Reuters.
BEIJING, April 29 (Reuters) – In the coming days, China plans to launch a robotic spacecraft on the first of three technically challenging missions that will take it closer to the moon’s far side and open the door for a Chinese crewed landing and base on the lunar south pole.
China has closed the technological gap with the US and Russia by making significant advancements in lunar exploration since the inaugural Chang’e mission in 2007, which was named after the legendary Chinese moon goddess.
For the first time in over 40 years, China successfully returned samples from the near side of the moon to Earth in 2020, demonstrating that it could safely land an unmanned spacecraft on Earth from the lunar surface.
Using the backup spacecraft from the 2020 mission, China is scheduled to launch Chang’e-6 this week in order to gather soil and rocks from the side of the moon that faces Earth permanently.
Chang’e-6’s 53-day mission, which includes a previously untried ascent from the moon’s “hidden” side on its way home, is dependent on a recently launched relay satellite orbiting the moon because it has no direct line of sight with Earth.
In 2026 and 2028, respectively, when China begins to search for water at the south pole and construct a basic outpost with Russia, the same relay satellite will support the unmanned Chang’e-7 and 8 missions. By 2030, China wants to send astronauts to the moon.
NASA’s administrator, Bill Nelson, has expressed concern over Beijing’s polar plans, stating repeatedly that China would appropriate any water resources for itself. Beijing claims that it is still dedicated to working with all countries to create a “shared” future.
China will transport payloads from France, Italy, Sweden, and Pakistan on Chang’e-6, and payloads from Russia, Switzerland, and Thailand on Chang’e-7.
United States bans NASA. s. legislation from any direct or indirect cooperation with China.
In the independent Artemis program run by NASA, U.S. S. In 2026, astronauts—the first people on the moon since 1972—will touch down close to the south pole.
According to Clive Neal, a planetary geology professor at the University of Notre Dame, “international cooperation is key (to lunar exploration)”. Simply put, China and the U.S. S. presently not complying. I’m hoping that will occur. “.”.
SOUTH POLE GOALS.
The goal of Chang’e 6 is to touch down on the northeastern edge of the enormous South Pole-Aitkin Basin, which is the solar system’s oldest impact crater known to science.
Jointly operated by NASA and the Texas-based private company Intuitive Machines, IM-1 made history in February by making the southerlymost landing ever.
Reflecting the high-risk nature of lunar landings, the spacecraft tilted sharply to one side amid a plethora of technical issues after landing at Malapert A, a site near the south pole that was thought to be approximately flat.
According to scientists, the south pole is the “golden belt” for lunar exploration.
Long-term research bases could be supported by polar ice without the need for costly resources to be transported from Earth. Ice was found inside polar craters, according to data from India’s Chandrayaan-1 satellite, launched in 2008.
More information about the early development of the moon and the inner solar system may also be revealed by Chang’e-6’s sample return.
Due to the absence of volcanic activity, the far side of the moon has more craters that are uncovered by old lava flows, allowing materials from the moon’s early formation to be preserved.
The near side of the moon, where volcanism has been far more active, has so far yielded all lunar samples collected by the United States, the former Soviet Union, China, and others in the 1970s and 2020.
When Chang’e-6 lands successfully, it will use a drill and a mechanical scoop to gather roughly 2 kilograms (4 point 4 pounds) of samples.
Leonard David, the author of “Moon Rush: The New Space Race,” told Reuters that China’s Chang’e-6 mission, “would be a milestone-making event,” if it is successful. “Robots reaching out to the far side of the Moon and returning samples to Earth help shed light on the still-mysterious origins of our own Moon. “.
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Albee Zhang and Ryan Woo provided the reporting. By Gerry Doyle, the editor.
