BEIJING: A Chinese spacecraft landed on the far side of the moon on Sunday to collect soil and rock samples that could provide insights into the differences between the moon’s less-explored region and its well-known near side, the lunar hemisphere that always faces Earth, opposite to the far side. According to the China National Space Administration, the landing module landed at 6:23 a.m. Beijing local time in a huge crater called the South Pole-Aitken Basin.
This is the sixth mission under the Chang’e Moon Exploration Program, named after the Chinese moon goddess. It has been designed to bring samples collected on the moon to Earth. Earlier in 2020, Chang’e 5 also collected samples from the nearest part of the Moon. This program has been launched amid growing rivalry with the US and other countries including Japan and India. China has established its own space station in space and regularly sends crew members there. China aims to send a man to the moon before 2030, which will make it the second country after the US to do so.
The US is planning to send astronauts back to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. China’s current mission involves the lander using a machine and a drill to collect two kilograms of surface and underground material for about two days. An ascender on top of the lander will then carry these samples in a metal vacuum container to another module orbiting the moon. This container will then be transferred to a capsule that is scheduled to return to Earth on June 25 in the desert in China’s Mongolia region.
Missions to the far side of the Moon are more difficult because it is not directly facing the Earth, requiring relay satellites to maintain communications. It is also more rugged, with very little flat ground for a lander to land on.
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