China Just Landed Its Lunar Probe on The Far Side of Moon

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses China's successful landing of the Chang'e-6 lunar probe on the far side of the Moon to collect samples, marking a significant milestone for China's decades-old space program.

🙋 Q&A

[01] China's Chang'e-6 Lunar Probe Landing

1. What was the purpose of the Chang'e-6 lunar probe mission?

• The Chang'e-6 lunar probe was sent to the far side of the Moon to collect samples, which is the first time samples will be collected from this rarely explored area of the Moon.

2. What were the key technical challenges in landing the Chang'e-6 probe?

• The probe had to descend from an orbit about 200 km above the Moon to the surface, which required precise control procedures and a rapid reduction in relative speed to the Moon to zero within 15 minutes, using a large amount of propellant.
• The probe will need to attempt an unprecedented launch from the far side of the Moon that always faces away from Earth.

3. What are the potential scientific benefits of collecting samples from the far side of the Moon?

• The far side of the Moon, also known as the "dark side", holds great promise for research because its craters are less covered by ancient lava flows than the near side.
• Material collected from the dark side may better shed light on how the Moon formed in the first place.

[02] China's Space Program Ambitions

1. What are some of China's key achievements in its space program?

• China has built a space station called Tiangong, or "heavenly palace".
• China has landed robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon, and is only the third country to independently put humans in orbit.

2. What are China's future plans for its space program?

• China aims to send a crewed mission to the Moon by 2030 and plans to build a base on the lunar surface.
• The United States is also planning to put astronauts back on the Moon by 2026 with its Artemis 3 mission.

3. What concerns have been raised about China's space program?

• The United States has warned that China's space program is being used to mask military objectives and an effort to establish dominance in space.