China launches Chang’e 6 lunar probe

May 4, 2024

China has launched a probe to collect samples from the far side of the moon as part of its goal to land a human on the lunar surface by
A rocket carrying the Chang’e-6 lunar probe blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern China’s Hainan province.
Representing the first attempt to retrieve samples from the far side of the Moon, Chang’e 6 is set to bring back up to two kilograms of lunar samples, adopting a configuration similar to the successful Chang’e 5 mission.
The mission involves international collaboration, with payloads from the European Space Agency (ESA) and the French space agency CNES.
ESA contributes a lunar surface ion tester, while CNES provides equipment for measuring radon gas and its decay products.
Additionally, an Italian laser corner reflector for radar instrument calibration and Pakistan’s ICUBE-Q CubeSat will be part of the mission.
Chang’e 6 will consist of both a lander and a rover.
The lander will touch down on the lunar surface, while the rover will explore specific regions, conduct experiments, and aid in the sample collection process.
The returned samples will be made available to the global scientific community for study.