China’s Chang’e-6 lunar far side sample return mission spacecraft is making significant progress as the components for the spacecraft have arrived at the Wenchang spaceport. The probe, which weighs 8,200 kilograms, is set to launch on a Long March 5 rocket in May of this year.
This ambitious mission aims to land on the far side of the moon, collect samples, and bring them back to Earth. The spacecraft components were transported to Hainan island via Antonov An-124 and Xi’an Y-20 transport planes, and they will soon be assembled and tested.
The Chang’e-6 mission is scheduled to launch in the first half of 2024, building on the success of the 2020 Chang’e-5 mission, which collected lunar material from the near side of the moon. To facilitate communication with the lunar far side, the Chang’e-6 mission will rely on a relay satellite called Queqiao-2. This satellite, expected to launch in the near future, will be placed in an elliptical frozen orbit beyond the moon.
Targeting a landing in the Apollo crater within the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin, Chang’e-6 aims to retrieve 2,000 grams of lunar material. This mission is projected to last 53 days, significantly longer than its predecessor’s 23-day duration. In addition to Chinese instruments and technology, the mission will carry international payloads from countries such as France and Sweden. Pakistan will also contribute a cubesat to the mission.
Initially, access to the collected lunar samples will be granted to Chinese scientists. However, the samples will eventually be made available for international research proposals. This collaborative approach reflects China’s wider effort to establish a permanent lunar base by the 2030s under the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) program. The ILRS initiative has attracted the participation of various countries and organizations, further emphasizing the global significance and impact of China’s lunar exploration efforts.
As the Chang’e-6 mission progresses and more updates emerge, Poh Diaries will continue to report on this exciting endeavor that promises to further advance our understanding of the moon’s composition and its potential for future human exploration.
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