On Tuesday, a Chinese spacecraft had been sending samples from the Moon’s far side to Earth. Which concluded a 53-day mission that was hailed as a global first and had several technological challenges.
Chang’e-6 Spacecraft’s Landing
The Chang’e-6 spacecraft’s landing module landed at a planned location in Inner Mongolia at 2:07 PM (0607 GMT).
According to the China National Space Administration, which hailed the mission as a “complete success.”
It is carrying soil and rocks from the Moon’s far side, which faces away from Earth. This is a little-studied area with a lot of research potential.
Experts says; because the craggy features there haven’t been as smoothed down by past lava flows as those on the near side.
Moon’s Formation & Evolution
This suggests that the elements extracted there might aid in our understanding of the Moon’s formation and evolution.
The probe was “functioning normally, signalling that the Chang’e-6 lunar exploration mission was a complete success,” according to China’s space agency.
The “outstanding contributions” of the mission command
“will be remembered forever by the motherland and the people,” according to a congratulatory message from President Xi Jinping.
On May 3, Chang’e-6 launched from a space centre in the Chinese territory of Hainan, an island in the moon. Almost exactly one month later, it plummeted into the vast South Pole-Aitken Basin.
It collected materials with a robotic arm and drill. Took pictures of the surface marked with poking holes, and embedded a basalt Chinese flag in the grey dirt.
On June 4, the probe made the first ever successful launch. From the far side in what Xinhua called “an unprecedented feat in human lunar exploration history”.
To read our blog on “Chandrayaan-3 of India safely landed on south pole of moon,” click here