After successfully separating from its orbiter, this Sunday the lander of the Chinese Chang’e-6 mission managed to successfully descend into the southern area of the Apollo craterlocated in the southern hemisphere of the far side of the Moon.
The lander will undergo initial checks and configurations before it moves on to the phase of drilling and collecting samples from the surface of the non-visible side of our satellite.
The module will use a robotic shovel and drill to collect rocks and lunar dust, in addition to excavating about 2 meters on the surface in order to extract the deepest deposits. This phase will last around two days, in which it is expected to collect approximately 2,000 grams of lunar material.
When will the samples return to Earth?
Once the samples have been taken, they will be transferred to the ascent modulewhich will rise from the surface of the Moon autonomously to dock with the Chang’e-6 mission orbiter.
Subsequently, the collected material will be placed in the reentry module, which will have the ability to withstand the conditions of descent through the Earth’s atmosphere. The module is expected to land on June 25 in the administrative division of Siziwang, Inner Mongolia.
The Chang’e-6 mission took off on May 3 from the Wenchang Space Launch Center, on the southern island of Hainan. The probe entered lunar orbit four days after taking off. The Chang’e-6 mission, which is part of the fourth phase of the Chinese lunar exploration program, will be the first in history to bring back samples from the far side of the Moon.
What other payloads are on board Chang’e-6?
In addition to the equipment for collecting samples, the Chang’e-6 mission lander brings on board four scientific instruments from France, Italy, Pakistan and Sweden, which will analyze and study the lunar landing area.
The Chinese space agency plans to launch the Chang’e-7 mission in 2026 and the Chang’e-8 in 2028. Both missions will make up the basic model of a lunar research station to carry out explorations on the surface of our satellite.
Beijing, June 2, 2024
Digital Chronicle/rt.com
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