Artist’s impression of Chang’e 6 landing on the moon
CGTN
The Chang’e 6 spacecraft is scheduled to attempt a landing on the far side of the moon on June 1. If successful, it will attempt to extract the first lunar rock samples from unexplored regions of the Moon and bring them back to Earth.
What is the Chang’e 6 spacecraft?
China’s Chang’e series lunar spacecraft have steadily taken on more ambitious missions, with the ultimate goal of establishing a manned base on the Moon in the 2030s. Chang’e 6, launched on May 3 aboard the Long March 5 rocket, is China’s second sample return mission, following Chang’e 5’s successful delivery of 1 kg of material from near the Moon to Earth in 2020.
However, Chang’e 6 will attempt to collect about 2 kilograms of material from the far side of the moon, which is permanently facing away from Earth. Because it lacks a direct communication link with Earth, making it more difficult to land on than the near plane, it has been little explored and no samples from this region.
Where will Chang’e 6 land on the moon?
The spacecraft is targeting the Apollo crater on the other side, in the southern hemisphere. Scientists hope the sample will not only reveal how much ice is trapped in the region for future manned missions, but could also help explain the origins of the larger Antarctic-Aiken Impact Basin where it is located and how the moon formed. I’m hoping. In addition to the samples, the lander will have four scientific instruments from teams from France, Italy, Pakistan and Sweden to analyze and study the landing area.
How will Chang’e 6 land?
The lander, ascender and orbiter modules have been orbiting the moon for about three weeks starting May 8, while the Chinese space agency awaits the right orbital conditions to attempt a landing.
On June 1, the lander and elevator module will separate from the orbiter and begin a roughly 15-minute descent toward the lunar surface. Communication delays between Earth and the far side of the moon will automate most of the landing process, but Chinese engineers will still be able to communicate with the spacecraft using instructions transmitted using the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, launched in March this year. It is currently in lunar orbit.
Once on the moon, the lander module will use robotic scoops and drills to take surface samples of rock and dust, as well as dig about 2 meters deep into the lunar surface and extract deeper sediments. It takes approximately 2 days to collect these samples.
When will Chang’e 6 return to Earth?
Once the lander successfully retrieves lunar samples, it will transfer them to the elevator module. The elevator module will automatically launch from the moon after a six-minute flight and rendezvous with the orbital module. The samples will then be transferred to a return capsule where they will survive the descent through Earth’s atmosphere.
If all goes as planned, the return sample capsule will arrive on Earth on June 25 and land at the Siziwang Banner site in Inner Mongolia.
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