Chinese spacecraft successfully lands on the far side of the Moon

BEIJING (AP) – A Chinese spaceship landed on the far side of the Moon on Sunday to collect soil and rock samples that could provide insight into the differences between the less explored region and the better-known near side.

The landing module landed at 6:23 a.m. Beijing time in a huge crater known as the South Pole-Aitken basin, the China National Space Administration said.

The mission is the sixth in Chang’e’s lunar exploration program, which is named after a Chinese moon goddess. This is the second intended to bring back samples, following the Chang’e 5which made him on the near side in 2020.

The lunar program is part of a growing rivalry with the United States – still a leader in space exploration – and others, notably Japan and India. China has put its own space station into orbit and regularly send crews there.

The emerging global power aims put a person on the moon before 2030, which would make it the second nation after the United States to do so. America plans to land astronauts on the Moon again – for the first time in more than 50 years – thanks to NASA. pushed back the target date to 2026 earlier this year.

U.S. efforts to use private-sector rockets to launch spacecraft have been repeatedly delayed. Last minute computer problem canceled planned launch of Boeing’s first astronaut flight on Saturday.

Earlier Saturday, a Japanese billionaire canceled his plan orbit the Moon due to uncertainty over the development of a mega rocket by SpaceX. NASA plans to use the rocket to send its astronauts to the Moon.

Under China’s current mission, the lander is to use a mechanical arm and a drill to collect up to 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of surface and underground materials over about two days.

An ascender at the top of the lander will then return the samples in a metal vacuum container to another module orbiting the Moon. The container will be transferred to a re-entry capsule which is expected to return to Earth in the deserts of China’s Inner Mongolia region around June 25.

Missions to the far side of the Moon are more difficult because it does not face Earth, requiring a relay satellite to maintain communications. The terrain is also more uneven, with fewer flat areas to land.