Chinese spacecraft lands on moon’s far side in growing space rivalry with US

Why is it in the news?

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) recently announced that the Chang’e 6 sample return mission is on track to land on the surface of the Moon in the first half of 2024.

More about the news:

The mission is the sixth in the Chang’e moon exploration programme, which is named after a Chinese moon goddess.
It is the second designed to bring back samples, following the Chang’e 5, which did so from the near side in 2020.

Why has China sent its Chang’e-6 mission to the far side of the Moon?

The emerging global power aims to put a person on the moon before 2030, which would make it the second nation after the US to do so.
The US is planning to land astronauts on the moon again — for the first time in more than 50 years — though NASA pushed the target date back to 2026 earlier this year.

Ø On 20th July, 1969, Neil Armstrong along with Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin became the first human to step on the Moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission.

About Chang’e 6 Mission:

Chang’e-6 landed in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon, marking the first human sampling and return mission from that side.
Launch: It was launched by a Chinese Long March-5 rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in Hainan 53 days ago.
Components: The mission includes an orbiter, returner, lander, and ascender.
The lander is equipped with various sensors like microwave, laser, and optical imaging to measure distance, speed, and identify obstacles.
Objective: Representing the first attempt to retrieve samples from the far side of the Moon, Chang’e 6 is set to bring back up to two kilograms 2 meters below the surface, then transfer to the ascent vehicle adopting a configuration similar to the successful Chang’e 5 mission.
Significance: China became the third country, following the United States and the Soviet Union, to retrieve samples from the moon and bring them back to Earth.
The probe is scheduled to complete sampling within two days. It has adopted two methods of moon sampling, which include:
Using a drill to collect subsurface samples
Grabbing samples on the surface with a robotic arm.
The mission aims to achieve breakthroughs in lunar retrograde orbit design and control technology.
This is the second successful mission to the far side, following China’s Chang’e-4 in 2019.

The Chinese Lunar Exploration Program has progressed through several key phases:

· Orbital Missions: Chang’e 1 and 2 orbited the Moon in 2007 and 2010.

· Landing and Roving: Chang’e 3 and 4 achieved soft landings and roving on the Moon in 2013 and 2019.

· Sample Collection: Chang’e 5 returned lunar samples in 2020, while Chang’e 6 targets the far side.

· Robotic Research Station: Planned for the Moon’s south pole to support future crewed missions by the 2030s.

China’s Other Space Plans:

It aims to have a permanent manned space station in service by around 2022.
Within the next decade, China plans to establish a robotic base station to conduct unmanned exploration in the south polar region of the moon.
It is to be developed through the Chang’e-6, 7 and 8 missions through the 2020s.

AMIGOS IAS