China’s Chang’e 6 spacecraft begins sampling on far side of the moon
The Chang’e 6 moon lander touched down on 2 June and began collecting lunar rock for China’s second sample-return mission
By Alex Wilkins
3 June 2024
Illustration of the Chang’e-6 lander on the lunar surface
cnsa.gov.cn
China’s Chang’e 6 spacecraft has successfully landed on the moon’s far side and started taking samples of lunar rock from the region for the first time.
After orbiting the moon for three weeks, the craft touched down on 2 June at 0623 Beijing time, landing in a comparatively flat region in the Apollo crater, which sits within the South Pole-Aitken impact basin.
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The far side of the moon has no direct communications link with Earth, so the landing procedure was largely autonomous, although engineers could still monitor the situation and send instructions using the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, which launched in March this year and is currently in lunar orbit.
Image from the camera on the craft as it approached the landing site cnsa.gov.cn
Once the lander and its attached ascent module had separated from the orbital part of the spacecraft, they began a controlled descent with their engines, using an obstacle avoidance system and camera to detect boulders and rocks and select a smooth landing area. At around 100 metres above the lunar surface, a laser scanner selected a final site before the engines switched off and the vehicle made a cushioned touchdown.
