China spacecraft to try to land on Moon’s far side
A craft launched from China in May is set to land on the far side of the Moon, an unexplored territory that few missions attempt to reach.
The Chang’e 6 mission aims to be the first to collect valuable rock and soil samples from this region.
The probe may retrieve some of the Moon’s oldest rocks from a massive crater near its South Pole.
However, the mission is risky due to the difficulty in communicating with spacecraft on the far side of the Moon.
Since its launch from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on May 3, the Chang’e 6 spacecraft has been orbiting the Moon, preparing for its landing.
On Sunday, the lander will detach from the orbiter and attempt to touch down on the Moon’s permanently hidden side.
If successful, it will spend up to three days collecting surface materials.
“Everyone is very excited that we might get a look at these rocks no one has ever seen before,” says John Pernet-Fisher, a lunar geology expert at the University of Manchester.
He has analyzed lunar rocks from the American Apollo missions and previous Chinese missions.
Pernet-Fisher notes that analyzing rock from a different area of the Moon could provide insights into planetary formation.
Most rocks collected thus far are volcanic, similar to those found in Iceland or Hawaii.
However, the material on the far side is expected to have a different composition.
“It would help us answer those really big questions, like how are planets formed, why do crusts form, what is the origin of water in the solar system?” he says.
According to China’s National Space Administration, the mission aims to collect about 2kg of material using a drill and mechanical arm.
The probe should visit an impact crater called the South Pole–Aitken basin, one of the largest known in the solar system.
From there, it could gather material that came from deep inside the lunar mantle – the inner core of the Moon – Prof Pernet-Fisher says.
The Moon’s South Pole is the next frontier in lunar missions – countries are keen to understand the region because there is a good chance it has ice.
Access to water would significantly boost the chances of successfully establishing a human base on the Moon for scientific research.
If the mission succeeds, the craft will return to Earth with the precious samples on board a special return capsule.
The material will be kept in special conditions to try to keep it as pristine as possible.
Scientists in China will be given the first chance to analyze the rocks, and later researchers worldwide will be able to apply for the opportunity too.
This is the second time China has launched a mission to collect samples from the Moon.
In 2020 Chang’e 5 brought back 1.7kg of material from an area called Oceanus Procellarum on the Moon’s near side.
China is planning three more uncrewed missions this decade as it looks for water on the Moon and investigates setting up a permanent base there.
