The Chinese Chang'e-6 spacecraft delivered soil samples from the far side of the Moon into orbit
The take-off module of the Chinese automatic interplanetary station Chang'e-6 lifted into satellite orbit samples of soil collected on the far side of the Moon. This event opens a new chapter in the history of earthly astronautics, since scientists have not yet had at their disposal samples from the side of the satellite invisible from Earth.
The main volume of operations was carried out by the station in automatic mode. Instructions were also transmitted from Earth, reaching the device thanks to the Queqiao-2 relay satellite. To eliminate accidents when collecting samples, the environment on Earth around an exact copy of the landing module was identical to that around the Chang'e-6 module on the Moon.
The drilling process began the collection of samples. The robotic arm then added samples of soil and rocks from the lunar surface.
In total, about 2 kg of samples were collected, which were sealed in a sealed capsule and placed in the take-off module. The module lifted the capsule into lunar orbit, where it will rendezvous with the orbital and return module. Then, within about three weeks, the images will be delivered to Earth - they will be dropped in a capsule in northern China.
The collected samples will reveal a lot about the early stages of the geological history of the Moon.
The Chang'e-6 mission launched on May 3, 2024. On May 9, the station entered lunar orbit. The lunar landing took place on June 2.
ORIENT news
