China’s Chang’e-6 Probe Lands on Moon’s Far Side in Historic Mission

Author: Pradhnya Anindya Dewanti
June 3, 2024

China’s Chang’e-6 Probe Lands on Moon’s Far Side in Historic Mission. (Photo: CNSA)

SEAToday.com, Beijing - China's unmanned Chang'e-6 lunar probe successfully landed on the far side of the Moon on Sunday (6/2). The primary mission of Chang'e-6 is to collect the first-ever rock and soil samples from this less-studied region of the Moon.

The robotic rover Chang'e-6 touched down within Apollo Crater, located inside the massive South Pole-Aitken basin. The far side of the Moon permanently faces away from Earth and is riddled with large, dark craters, which present significant challenges for communication and robotic landing operations.

Over the next few days, Chang'e-6 will focus on mapping its surroundings and collecting roughly 2 kilograms of lunar material. The mission is projected to last 53 days, with a return to Earth scheduled for June 25. If successful, Chang'e-6 will be the first mission to bring back samples from the far side of the Moon for scientific study.

This achievement marks the second time the China National Space Administration (CNSA) has landed on the lunar far side, following Chang'e-4 in January 2019. Chang'e-6 is China's second sample return mission after Chang'e-5 successfully landed on the near side of the Moon in 2020.