China is launching Chang’e-6, a second lander to the lunar far side, in an attempt to retrieve material from an area of the moon that the Earth never sees. This mission is significant as it could provide insights into the origin and evolution of the Earth-moon system. The launch of Chang’e-6 is scheduled for Friday at 5:27 a.m. Eastern time from the Wenchang space site on Hainan Island, with a live broadcast available on the China Global Television Network.
Chang’e-6 is part of a series of Chinese lunar missions aimed at exploring the moon. It will be the first probe to bring back samples from the lunar far side. Previous missions, including Chang’e-4 in 2019 and Chang’e-5 in 2020, have contributed to this ongoing exploration effort. It will take Chang’e-6 about a month to reach the moon’s far side, where it will collect soil samples using a mechanical arm and drill.
The far side of the moon is distinct from the near side, with a thicker crust and fewer lava plains. By collecting samples from the far side, scientists hope to understand the differences between the two sides of the moon. This mission will target the South Pole-Aitken basin, one of the largest impact basins in the solar system, which could provide insights into the moon’s mantle. Communications with the far side of the moon are established through satellites in lunar orbit.
China’s lunar exploration program is part of its broader space exploration goals, which also include missions to Mars and future visits to asteroids. The Chang’e series of missions, which began in the 1990s, has had a 100% success rate so far. China is also working towards crewed missions to the moon by 2030, with plans to establish a permanent lunar research base in the 2030s. Chang’e-7, expected to launch in 2026, will search for water at the lunar south pole, while Chang’e-8 will survey potential construction materials in the region.
