If all goes well, the Chang’e 6 probe will be the first ever to land on the far side of the moon to take samples and bring them back to Earth
The Chang’e 6 spacecraft is heading to the moon to bring back samples from its far side. The Chinese mission, which is due to blast off between 8.30am and 11.00am GMT from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on board a Long March 5 rocket, is the latest in a string of lunar efforts that will eventually lead to a planned crewed mission.
If Chang’e 6 is successful, it will mark China’s second sample-return mission to the moon and the first time that dust from the lunar far side has ever been collected and returned to Earth., which never faces Earth, is more complicated than doing so on the near side. We can send signals directly to spacecraft on the near side, but landing on the far side requires communications satellites to relay signals around the moon.
The lander has four scientific instruments – one each from France, Italy, Pakistan and Sweden – to study the area around its landing spot. It is also equipped with a drill and a scoop intended to grab about 2 kilograms of lunar material to be stowed away in the ascent module.Once the mission is complete, the ascent module will blast off, reunite with the orbiter and head back towards Earth. If all goes as expected, the mission will last 53 days – 30 days longer than Chang’e 5.
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