China's Chang'e 6 mission embarks on an effort to retrieve lunar samples from the unexplored far side of the Moon | © Trevor Hughes / USA TODAY NETWORK
(Beijing, China) – The dark side of the moon was uncharted territory until now. China says it has successfully landed an uncrewed spacecraft known as the Chang’e 6. It was a bit of a rocky landing since the craft had communication issues once it reached the far side of the moon.
The unit originally launched on May 3rd, and used innovations in engineering to safely land. The lander hovered over 300 feet above the moon before using 3D laser technology to scan the area before slowly making its way down to the surface of the moon’s far side. Chinese state media touted the landing on early Sunday morning as a historic achievement.
Chang’e 6 aims to collect samples from the area of the moon that has never been studied. Scientists hope the rocks can answer questions about planet formation and our solar system. According to the plan, scientists expect to have the rocket land back on Earth in the region of Inner Mongolia later this month on June 25th.
The name for the exploration program, Chang’e, actually comes from Chinese mythology. It is the namesake for the moon goddess.
China is the first and only country to land on the dark side of the lunar surface. Back in 2019, they were able to land the Chang’e 4, which is still roaming the dark side of the moon. That mission was the first major collaboration in space exploration between China and the US since Congress barred NASA’s cooperation with the Chinese government without FBI authorization in 2011.
This landing comes as the US and NASA had to postpone the launch of the first crewed mission on Boeing’s Starliner due to a computer issue. The Starliner hopes to carry astronauts to the International Space Station after passing initial certification. The US also plans on sending a crewed spacecraft to the moon by 2026 or later.
