China’s probe has successfully landed on the far side of the Moon

China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe has successfully landed on the far side of the moon to collect samples, state news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday – the latest leap for Beijing’s decades-old space program.

Chang’e-6 landed in the huge Aitken Basin at the South Pole, one of the largest known impact craters in the solar system, Xinhua said, citing the China National Space Administration.

It is the first time samples will be collected from the rarely explored area of ​​the Moon, according to the agency.

Chang’e-6 is on a technically complex 53-day mission that began on May 3.

Now that the probe has landed, it will try to collect lunar soil and rocks and conduct other experiments in the landing zone.

This process should be completed in two days, Xinhua said. The probe will use two collection methods: a drill to collect samples from below the surface and a robotic arm to grab samples from the surface.

Then they must attempt an unprecedented launch from the Moon, which is always aimed at Earth.

Scientists say the dark side of the moon – so-called because it’s invisible from Earth, not because it never catches the sun’s rays – holds great promise for research because its craters are less covered by ancient lava flows than the dark side. close.

Material collected from the dark side could better shed light on how the Moon formed in the first place.

– China’s space ambitions –

Plans for China’s “space dream” have been put into full swing under President Xi Jinping.

Beijing has poured huge resources into its space program over the past decade, targeting a string of ambitious commitments in an effort to close the gap with the two traditional space powers – the United States and Russia.

He recorded several notable achievements, including the construction of a space station called Tiangong, or “heavenly palace”.

Beijing has landed robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon, and China is only the third country to independently put humans into orbit.

But Washington has warned that China’s space program is being used to mask military goals and an effort to establish dominance in space.

China aims to send a manned mission to the moon by 2030 and plans to build a base on the lunar surface.

The United States also plans to return astronauts to the moon by 2026 with the Artemis 3 mission.

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