Unprecedented 53-day mission aims to recover moon rocks and soil from the far side that never faces Earth.
China’s largest rocket has launched the Chang’e-6 lunar probe into space on a nearly two-month mission to retrieve rocks and soil from the far side of the moon in a world-first attempt.
The Long March-5 rocket lifted off with the more than eight-ton probe from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on the southern island province of Hainan at 5:27 p.m. (09:27 GMT) on Friday.
The launch marks another milestone in China’s lunar and space exploration program.
“Collecting and returning samples from the far side of the moon is an unprecedented achievement,” Wu Weiren, chief designer of the country’s lunar exploration program, told state news agency Xinhua.
Chang’e-6 is named after the mythical Chinese moon goddess.
“We know very little about the far side of the moon. If the Chang’e-6 mission can achieve its goal, it will provide scientists with the first direct evidence to understand the environment and material composition on the far side of the moon, which is of great importance,” he said.
Like its predecessor Chang’e-5, the Chang’e-6 consists of an orbiter, a lander and an ascender, as well as a mechanism that allows it to return to Earth, according to Xinhua.
The South Pole-Aitken Basin, where Chang’e-6 is expected to land, lies on the dark side of the moon, which still remains mysterious because it is constantly facing away from Earth.
In 2018, Chang’e-4 enabled China to make its first unmanned lunar landing, also on the far side.
In 2020, Chang’e-5 marked the first time humans took lunar samples in 44 years, and Chang’e-6 could make China the first country to take samples from the “hidden” side of the moon.
Foreign payloads
The launch was attended by scientists, diplomats and space agency representatives from France, Italy, Pakistan and the European Space Agency (ESA), all of which have lunar exploration payloads on board Chang’e-6.
However, no organization from the United States has applied for a payload slot, according to Ge Ping, deputy director of the Lunar Exploration and Space Program of the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
Under US law, China is prohibited from any cooperation with the US space agency NASA without the approval of Congress.
After the probe separates from the rocket, it will take four to five days to reach the moon’s orbit. It is expected to land on the moon in early June.
Once the probe lands, it will spend two days digging up 2 kg (4.4 lb) of samples. Once these are sealed in a container, it is then reconnected to the returnee for the journey back to Earth.
According to CNSA, Chang’e-6 is expected to land in Inner Mongolia, northern China, in about 53 days.
“The samples collected by Chang’e-6 will have a geological age of about four billion years,” Ge told reporters.
In addition to discovering new information about the closest celestial body to Earth, Chang’e-6 is part of a long-term project to build a permanent research station on the moon: the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), led by China and Russia.
China’s space program aims to put astronauts on the moon by 2030, bring back samples from Mars and launch three lunar probe missions in the next four years. The next one is planned for 2027.