China continues to deploy lunar exploration mission as planned

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has just announced that the lunar exploration mission project named Chang'e-6 (Chang"e-6) is being deployed as planned and is expected to be launched in 2024.

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The purpose of the Chang'e-6 mission is to explore and collect samples from different regions and ages to learn more about the Moon, said the China National Space Administration. (Source: CNSA)

The Chang'e 6 spacecraft is expected to land in the area containing the South Pole-Aitken basin, a giant impact crater on the far side of the Moon with a diameter of 2,500 km.

After landing, the Chang'e 6 lander is tasked with exploring and collecting rock and soil samples from many areas to improve human understanding of the Moon.

To ensure communication between the Chang'e 6 spacecraft and Earth after landing on the Moon, China will launch the Queqiao 2 communications satellite in the first half of 2024.

According to CNSA, Chang'e-6 will carry payloads and satellite projects from four countries, including a French radon detector, a European Space Agency negative ion detector, an Italian laser corner reflector, and a Pakistani cube.

In the past 10 years, China has achieved many great successes in researching and exploring the Moon. In 2013, the Jade Rabbit robot of the Chang'e 3 spacecraft landed on the Moon, becoming the first Chinese robot to do so.

In 2018, China launched the Chang'e 4 spacecraft, carrying the Jade Rabbit 2 rover.

In 2019, Jade Rabbit 2 successfully landed on the far side of the Moon, making China the first country in history to do so. In 2020, Chang’e 5 landed on the Moon and took samples of rock and soil to bring back to Earth. This was the first time in 44 years that lunar samples were successfully brought back.

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