China achieved a big milestone in space exploration by landing an uncrewed spacecraft on the far side of the moon on Saturday. This historic mission aims to collect rock and soil samples from the dark lunar hemisphere. The Change-6 spacecraft, equipped with advanced tools and its own launcher, successfully touched down in the South Pole-Aitken Basin, a massive impact crater, at 6:23 AM Beijing time.Countries like the United States are also eyeing lunar minerals to support future astronaut missions and establish moon bases in the coming decade.Overcoming challenges on far sideLanding on the moons far side is no easy feat due to its complex terrain and communication difficulties. The far side, which always faces away from Earth, is covered in deep, dark craters, making robotic landings particularly challenging. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) acknowledged the high risks and engineering innovations involved in this mission. The Change-6 lander is expected to carry out its scientific exploration as planned.On the morning of June 2nd, Chinas Change-6 successfully landed in the pre selected landing area of the Antarctic Aitken Basin on the far side of the Moon, marking the first sample collection mission conducted by a human probe on the far side of the Moon.#China#Moon pic.twitter.com/hFXkbQgaCA— Walter (@WalterL87309879) June 2, 2024Journey to the moonThe Change-6 probe was launched on May 3 using Chinas Long March 5 rocket from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center. It reached lunar orbit about a week later, then tightened its orbit in preparation for the landing. This mission marks the third lunar landing this year, following Japans SLIM lander in January and a lander from US startup Intuitive Machines in February.Why Chinas moon mission is importantThe primary goal of Change-6 is to collect 2 kilograms of lunar material using a scoop and drill over two days. The samples will be transferred to a rocket booster on the lander, which will then launch back into space, rendezvous with another spacecraft in lunar orbit, and return to Earth.The samples are expected to land in Chinas Inner Mongolia region around June 25. If successful, this mission will offer valuable insights into the moons history and provide new clues about the solar systems formation. The mission will also allow scientists to compare the unexplored far side of the moon with the more familiar near side.However, not all space missions proceed as planned. Recently, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa canceled a private mission around the moon using SpaceXs Starship, citing schedule uncertainties. Moreover, Boeing and NASA postponed the first crewed launch of the Starliner capsule, which is intended to become the second US space taxi to low-Earth orbit.
