The China National Space Administration announced that a Chinese spacecraft has successfully landed on the far side of the moon, marking the end of a month-long journey.
“Applause erupted at the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center” as the Chang’e landing craft touched down on the Moon early Sunday morning, according to China’s national media.
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Chinese space scientists successfully landed the Chang’e 6 craft in the Apollo Basin crater. “The choice was made for the Apollo Basin’s potential value for scientific exploration, as well as the conditions of the landing area, including communication and telemetry conditions, and the flatness of the terrain,” said Huang Hao, a space expert from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.
According to Huang, the far side of the moon’s rocky topography is more difficult to navigate than the front, or near, side, and has fewer flat spots conducive to successful landings. It also lowers the number of windows for communicating with the uncrewed craft.
Prior to landing, the craft hovered about 300 feet over the moon’s surface, scanning it using 3D technology. Chinese space officials described the touchdown as a “historic moment.”
Chang’e 6 will now embark on a three-day investigation of the lunar surface, gathering data as part of a mission that the CNSA described as including “many engineering innovations, high risks, and great difficulty.”
The Chang’e 6 will primarily strive to recover some of the oldest known rocks from the lunar south pole.
Pernet-Fisher believes that analyzing rocks and other objects from a completely different section of the moon could help answer fundamental concerns about how planets develop.
He explained that the majority of the rocks recovered so far are volcanic, similar to what we may find in Iceland or Hawaii. However, the material on the far side would have a distinct chemical composition.
“It would help us answer those really big questions, like how are planets formed, why do crusts form, and what is the origin of water in the solar system?” Pernet-Fisher explained.
China is the only country to have landed a module on the moon’s backside, doing so for the first time in 2019 with its Chang’e 4 spacecraft.
