China’s Lunar Mission Explained
Chang’e-6, the Chinese lunar exploration mission, has made history. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) missions to the moon have given China an edge in the developing 21st-century Space Race and sparked renewed interest in space exploration inside China and across the world. Let’s dive into China’s Space ambitions.
What Is Chang’e-6?
Chang’e-6 is a robotic lunar exploration mission named after the Chinese goddess of the moon. As the name suggests, Chang-’e-6 is the 6th such lunar mission conducted by the CNSA in recent years. The most recent mission launched from the southern Chinese province of Hainan on May 3rd and landed in the previously unexplored Apollo Basin on the dark side of the moon on June 1st. Chang’e-6 spent 49 hours collecting around 2,000 grams of the unique soil and rock samples from the moon’s surface before taking off again. The mission docked with the CNSA’s orbital module on June 6th - only the second such successful orbital docking. The mission is now waiting for the ideal conditions on which to return to earth and is expected to touch down in China’s northern province of Inner Mongolia around June 25th.
Chang'e 6 moon landing video:
Why is Chang’-6 Significant?
Chang’e-6 is only the second time in human history that we have made a soft landing on the far side of the moon. The first such landing was the Chang’e-4 mission in 2019 - making China the only country in history to have ever conducted a surface mission to the far side of the moon. Chang’e-6’s landing site - the Apollo Basin near the moon’s south pole - had also previously been unexplored. However, the real significance of this mission was the 2000 grams of soil and rock samples collected by the lunar rover. This is the first time such samples have been collected from the far side of the moon. Since the far side of the moon always faces away from Earth, it is much less well understood than the near side of the moon. Scientists hope Chang’e-6’s samples will shed light on enduring mysteries about the lunar surface and the early history of the solar system. The mission has also sparked huge interest in space science in China: thousands of tourists gathered in Hainan to see Chang’e-6 off, and each subsequent news item about the mission has gone viral on Chinese social media.
What does the Future Hold?
Two future Chang’e moon missions are already in the works (Chang’e-7 and 8) for 2026 and 2028, respectively. China also plans to put taikonauts (the Chinese term for astronaut) on the moon’s surface by 2030. Perhaps most excitingly, however, are Chinese plans for an International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) to be built sometime in the 2030s. Part of the Chang’e-8 mission in 2028 would be to lay some of the groundwork for the ILRS, which is envisioned as a base for scientific experiments and research. While China is taking the lead on the ILRS, around 50 countries have joined or have expressed interest in joining the project, making it a truly international lunar mission. Chinese scientists have recently said that they have made significant advancements in the development of the material needed for building a permanent lunar base. With all these developments, it seems that China is taking an early lead in the developing 21st-century space race.
Professor of Geological Sciences at Brown University, who helped train Apollo astronauts under the NASA Apollo Lunar Exploration Program, comments on China’s Chang’e 6:
Further Reading
Unraveling Chang'e-6: Discover the mini rover that snapped a photo of Chang'e-6 probe
Chang’e-6 docking with the CNSA orbital craft
How China Reinvented the Space Station
What Chang’e-6 Means for the Space Race and US-China Co-operation
Page Editor: Jin Yulin
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Any landing on the far side of the moon, where the lander would be without any radio contact, would require the help of A.I. ( and possibly Pink Floyd ) and looks to be beyond the capability of 'The West'. But having achieved that, China now thinks about and plans to not only land astronauts on the dark side, but to build a manned international base.
As if lifting 800 million people out of poverty was not enough. Just goes to show what could be done with all the money spent on carrying out wide spread wars and killing people.
Thank you for the education, Jingjing.🤓