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According to Yuqi Qian, a lunar geologist at the University of Hong Kong, the Chang’e-6 lander is equipped with a camera, spectrometer and radar to investigate its surroundings and pick a spot to collect a sample. It will gather soil from the surface using a mechanical arm and collect a subsurface sample from as far down as 6.5 feet with a drill.
A vehicle on the lander will then lift off from the moon, passing the sample on to the orbiter’s re-entry module for its return back to Earth.
Because the same side of the moon always faces Earth, it is impossible to directly establish communications with the lunar far side. In 2018, China sent the Queqiao satellite into lunar orbit to relay information from Chang’e-4 to Earth. In March, it launched a second satellite called Queqiao-2. The pair will be used in tandem to remain in contact with Chang’e-6 during sample collection.
How does Chang’e-6 fit into China’s broader space exploration goals?
China’s lunar exploration program is one facet of the nation’s growing presence in space, which includes missions to Mars and future visits to asteroids. The Chang’e mission series, designed in the 1990s, included three phases: orbiting, landing and sampling. So far, it has a 100 percent success rate.
With the return of the Chang’e-6 sample, Dr. Qian said, China’s lunar exploration will pivot to a new strategy: investigation, construction and utilization. Its next two missions are already in development.
Chang’e-7, expected to launch in 2026, will search for water near the lunar south pole. Chang’e-8 will survey material in the same region that could potentially be used to build future infrastructure, according to the China National Space Administration.
China hopes to send astronauts to the moon in 2030 and is also working on establishing a permanent, international lunar research base by the 2030s.
What other missions have been to the moon this year?
If the first leg of Chang’e-6’s journey is successful, the spacecraft will be the third to land on the moon in 2024.
Japan reached the moon with the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, on Jan. 20. The small spacecraft ended up in an awkward configuration, with its engine nozzle pointed toward space. But it also made Japan the fifth country to reach the moon’s surface. Unexpectedly, the SLIM lander has continued to function on the lunar surface long after Japan’s space agency had expected to lose contact with the robotic vehicle.
The year’s second moon landing was the first by a privately operated spacecraft. Odysseus, built by Intuitive Machines of Houston, reached the lunar surface on Feb. 22. But the spacecraft toppled over, limiting the amount of science it could finish before freezing during the lunar night. Intuitive Machines has plans for another mission soon.
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