China’s Changye-6 spacecraft has successfully landed on the dark side of the Moon, Xinhua news agency reported. The mission’s goal is to collect and deliver samples of lunar soil to Earth.
.in_text_content_22 { width: 300px; height: 600px; } @media(min-width: 600px) { .in_text_content_22 { width: 580px; height: 400px; } }
Changye 6 was launched in early May from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on the southern Chinese island of Hainan. Early in the morning of June 2, he landed in the designated South Pole-Aitken area on the far side of the Moon.
The spacecraft must collect two kilograms of lunar rock samples within two days, after which it will be sent back to Earth. The device is equipped with a drill and robotic arm to capture samples. Chanye-6 is expected to land in the Inner Mongolia region around June 25.
This is the third landing of a spacecraft on the Moon this year. Previously, no country had explored the far side of the Moon, which always faces away from the Earth.
A special probe could extract some of the Earth’s oldest satellite rocks from a huge crater at its south pole.
Before the landing of the module, concerns were expressed that its landing could be associated with risk, since it is very difficult to maintain contact with spacecraft that have reached the far side of the Moon.
But so far the mission is going according to plan, and now the device will have to spend up to three days collecting “materials” from the surface of the Earth’s satellite.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.