Last Tuesday, the Chinese lunar mission Chang’e-6 successfully entered the orbit of the moon, marking a significant milestone in China’s space exploration efforts. The primary goal of this mission is to land on the far side of the moon, collect samples of lunar soil, and bring them back to Earth.
The Chang’e-6 mission was launched on May 3 from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on Hainan Island. The powerful Changzheng-5 rocket carried the probe into the intended trajectory. According to the Chinese National Space Administration, on May 7 at 22:12 local time (02:21 GMT on May 8), the engines of Chang’e-6 were activated for braking, allowing the probe to be captured by the moon’s gravity.
If successful, Chang’e-6 will become the second Chinese spacecraft, after its predecessor Chang’e-4, to land on the far side of the moon, which is not visible from Earth. This mission will also be the first to retrieve samples of lunar soil from this region.
Communication with the far side of the moon presents challenges due to the lack of direct radio contact. To address this issue, China previously launched the Queqiao relay satellite to facilitate communication with Chang’e-6.
Currently, Chang’e-6 is in a close orbit around the moon, coordinating with the relay satellite for orbital maneuvers before separating the lander and ascent modules to land in the Apollo crater within the South Pole-Aitken basin. The samples collected from this region are expected to provide valuable insights into the early history of the solar system and the moon’s evolution.
After collecting approximately 2 kg of regolith and rocks from up to 2 meters below the surface, Chang’e-6 will place the samples in the ascent module for docking with the orbiter. The samples will then be transferred to a special re-entry capsule designed to protect them during re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. The probe will then perform an acceleration maneuver to return to Earth.
If all goes according to plan, the mission is expected to conclude in 53 days. Chang’e-6 is the fifth Chinese mission to the moon, part of a larger initiative to land Chinese astronauts, known as Taikonauts, on the moon by 2030.
Meanwhile, NASA is also pursuing its lunar exploration program, Artemis, with plans for a crewed mission to the moon in 2025 (Artemis-2) and