A Chinese spacecraft successfully landed on the far side of the moon to collect soil and rock samples, marking the sixth mission in the Chang’e moon exploration program, Associated Press reports.
The mission, named after a Chinese moon goddess, aims to uncover the differences between the far side and the near side of the moon. The current mission involves using a lander equipped with a mechanical arm and drill to collect surface and underground material, which will be returned to Earth in late June. Exploring the moon’s far side presents challenges due to the lack of direct communication with earth and rugged terrain. The targeted area, the South Pole-Aitken Basin, is one of the moon’s oldest and largest impact craters that may offer valuable insights into the moon’s history and composition.
China’s space ambitions, including plans to land a person on the moon by 2030, are part of a growing rivalry with the US, Japan, and India in space exploration.
