China’s Chang’e-6 spacecraft has made a touchdown on the far side of the moon, a feat captured in footage. The successful landing took place in the South Pole-Aitken Basin, a location that presents communication challenges due to its position facing away from Earth.
This is not the first time China has achieved such a feat. Five years ago, the Chang’e-4 mission also landed on the far side of the moon, making China the only country to have accomplished this challenging maneuver. To ensure a smooth landing, the Chang’e-6 lander deployed an autonomous visual obstacle avoidance system to steer clear of hazards such as large rocks or deep pits.
The landing operation involved hovering above the lunar surface at an altitude of about 100 meters. This delicate process was supported by China’s Queqiao-2 relay satellite. Once a safe landing area had been selected, the final descent process could proceed.
The Chang’e-6 mission, which launched on May 3, will spend several days gathering the first rock and soil samples from the far side of the moon. These samples will be brought back to Earth later this month for scientists to study in laboratory conditions. The hope is that their findings will reveal more about how celestial bodies are formed and the origin of water in our solar system.
China, like the U.S., is also considering building a permanent base on the moon where humans will be able to live and work in unique conditions, similar to how crews spend time in the countries’ respective space stations in low-Earth orbit today. This latest lunar mission is another step towards achieving that ambitious goal.
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