The spacecraft that brought samples from the far side of the Moon to Earth landed in Inner Mongolia. The mission is indicative of the moon race between China and the United States.
This was not China’s first robotic mission to bring back several kilos of dust and gravel from the surface of the Moon, as the Chang’e 5 mission had already done so in December 2020. However, it was the first time that a country’s space program had sent material back from the far side of the Moon. The successful completion of a mission launched from Earth nearly two months ago is another major achievement for China’s space program as the country aims to land humans on the moon by 2030.
The complex mission consisting of an orbiter, a landing and takeoff unit, and a return spacecraft was launched on May 3. Although the Chang’e 6 mission consisted of similar elements as the Chang’e 5 three and a half years ago, it is a big challenge to operate on the far side of the Moon, meaning that there is no direct communication with the Earth. The Asian country solved this by launching and operating a relay spacecraft.
Scientists are very excited about the possibility of studying the far side of the Moon’s surface, which differs significantly from the near side in terms of crustal thickness, volcanic activity and composition. “CE-6’s samples are the first to be obtained from the far side of the Moon. They are expected to answer one of the most fundamental scientific questions in lunar science research: what geological activity is responsible for the differences between the two sides?” said Zongyu Yue, a geologist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Beyond scientific research, however, the mission is also significant because of the emerging competition between China and the United States to form an international coalition to explore the surface of the Moon and build outposts. With the Chang’e program – which will next turn its attention to the south pole of the Moon – China has both demonstrated the seriousness of its intentions and justified its technical approach. Of course, it’s a huge leap to go from simple robot missions to manned landings. But China also recently test-launched the Long March 10 rocket that will put humans on the moon. He is also working on a spacecraft and lunar lander similar in size to what NASA pursued with the Apollo program in the 1960s and 1970s.
While China’s lunar return project is 100 percent under government control, NASA is working with commercial partners such as SpaceX and Axiom Space to develop a lunar lander and spacesuits under its Artemis program. This process is fraught with uncertainty, but NASA hopes that partnering with private companies will ultimately lower the cost of lunar exploration and make its deep space program more sustainable in the long term. The competition – especially as China achieves more and more successful milestones, such as bringing back samples from the far side of the moon – is sure to be exciting.
Source: sg.hu
