China just took a giant leap forward in space exploration.
Over the weekend, a Chinese spacecraft landed on the far side of the moon, a first for any nation.
The mission’s goal?
To collect samples from the lunar surface and bring them back to Earth.
This successful landing marks the sixth mission in China’s moon exploration program, and it’s a clear sign that the country is serious about challenging the United States’ dominance in space.
According to the China National Space Administration, the lander touched down at 6:23 a.m. Beijing time in the South Pole-Aitken Basin, a huge crater on the moon’s far side.
China’s lunar missions are all about competition.
🇨🇳 Chang'e-6 successfully makes a soft landing on the far side of the Moon at 22:23:15.861 UTC on June 1st, with the help of the Queqiao-2 relay satellite and 7500N main engine.#China #Moon #LunarMission pic.twitter.com/EBZTTDKGNh
— Saikiran Kannan | 赛基兰坎南 (@saikirankannan) June 2, 2024
The country wants to prove that it can go toe-to-toe with the United States, Japan, and India when it comes to exploring the final frontier.
China has big plans for the future, too.
They’ve already launched their own space station, and they’re aiming to put a person on the moon by 2030.
If they pull it off, they’ll be only the second country in history to do so, after the United States.
During this mission, the lander will use a mechanical arm and a drill to scoop up about 4.4 pounds of moon rocks and dirt over the next two days.
Neil Melville-Kenney, a technical officer at the European Space Agency, explained that landing on the far side of the moon is no easy feat. “You don’t have direct communication with Earth, so you have to rely on a lot of technology to control the lander, or you have to automate the process,” he said.
Once the samples are collected, they’ll be launched back into lunar orbit in a special container.
From there, they’ll be transferred to a capsule that will bring them back to Earth, landing in the deserts of China’s Inner Mongolia region around June 25.
On Sunday, China's Chang'e 6 spacraft landed successfully on the back/dark side of the moon … collected soil samples over the weekend … then lifted off this morning. If all goes well, the samples will reurn to Earth one/about June 25. #sciencewithdrg #moon pic.twitter.com/qzguprgiJt
— Dr. Michael Guillén (@DrMGuillen) June 4, 2024
The far side of the moon is a tough place to land because of its rough terrain and the fact that you can’t communicate directly with Earth.
As Melville-Kenney pointed out, “Automation is very difficult, especially at high latitudes, because you have long shadows which can be very confusing for landers.”
China’s successful moon landing is a wake-up call for the United States.
With each mission, China is proving that it has the technology and the determination to become a major player in space exploration.
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If the U.S. wants to stay ahead in the space race, it needs to step up its game and invest in the research and technology necessary to keep pace with China’s ambitious goals.
