China's Lunar Mission Poised to Bring Back Groundbreaking Samples from Far Side of the Moon

Boston Brand Media brings you the latest - China's lunar mission is set to retrieve pioneering samples from the far side of the moon, marking a historic achievement in space exploration.

The samples will be enclosed within the lander's rocket booster, launched into space, and then transferred by docking with another spacecraft.

Beijing: China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe appears poised to embark on its landmark return journey from the far side of the moon, having gathered samples that scientists anticipate will provide insights into the early evolution of the solar system. Named after the legendary Chinese moon goddess, Chang'e-6 was launched on May 3 from Hainan, a southern Chinese island province. Touching down on Sunday in an uncharted area within the vast South-Pole Aitken Basin, the fully automated probe explored the region on the moon's perpetually hidden face.

China's prior Chang'e mission gathered samples from the moon's near side in December 2020, reigniting global efforts to retrieve lunar material after a 44-year hiatus.

Boston Brand Media also found that the unmanned Luna 24 mission, launched by the former Soviet Union in 1976, collected 170.1 grams (6 ounces) of samples from Mare Crisium, also known as the "Sea of Crises," located on the near side of the moon.

Between 1969 and 1972, six Apollo missions, all manned, amassed 2,200 samples weighing a total of 382 kilograms, also from the side of the moon facing Earth.

James Carpenter, who heads the European Space Agency's lunar science office, noted that the samples gathered by the Apollo missions from the moon's near side indicated that the South-Pole Aitken Basin on the far side was formed during a period of intense bombardment of the solar system, Earth, and the moon.

"This is a pivotal event in the history of the entire solar system, but there is some debate as to whether it occurred or not," he remarked.

"To comprehend that, it's crucial to have evidence, and that will be obtained from samples collected from the lunar far side, particularly from the South-Pole Aitken Basin."

SMALL WINDOW

Following its landing, Chang'e-6 had a 14-hour timeframe to drill, excavate, and seal 2 kg of material, aiming to become the first probe to retrieve such samples from the moon's far side, contrasting with Chang'e-5's 21-hour window in 2020.

"Once darkness falls, ending the mission, there's a limited window between landing, sample collection, and departure, making it an exhilarating mission requiring swift execution," Carpenter noted.

Although China claims enhanced efficiency in its drilling technology compared to 2020, potential challenges remain during the sampling process.

Chang'e-5 only managed to retrieve 1.73 kg of lunar samples, falling short of the planned 2 kg, as its drill could only penetrate 1 meter instead of the intended 2 meters due to encountering impenetrable layers beneath the surface.

The Chang'e-6 samples will be transferred and sealed onto a rocket booster atop the lander, which will then launch into space, rendezvous with another spacecraft in lunar orbit, and transfer the samples.

A landing in China's Inner Mongolia is anticipated around June 25.

During the probe's mission, payloads from Italian, French, and Pakistani research institutes, as well as the European Space Agency, will gather data on space and lunar-related inquiries, underscoring China's increasingly significant role in space exploration, competing with the United States in establishing a lunar outpost within the next decade.

Carpenter emphasized the "extremely strong" collaboration between European and Chinese scientists in analyzing the lunar samples returned by Chang'e-5, expressing hope for a similar partnership for Chang'e-6.

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Source: ndtv‍