The Chang’e-6 satellite is set to launch on Friday, with the goal of bringing back two kilos of rock samples from the dark side of the Moon. The mission is a significant step forward in space exploration, and viewers can watch a live broadcast of the launch on HS.
China’s lunar rover is part of an ambitious space program that aims for manned spaceflight by 2030 and plans to send two more probes to the Moon before then. The samples collected from the dark side of the Moon are particularly interesting due to the lack of ancient lava flows covering the craters, providing valuable information about the Moon’s formation.
The geological age of the samples collected by Chang’e-6 probe is around four billion years old, offering insight into the Moon’s history. Despite its permanent darkness due to lack of sunlight, it isn’t actually dark as we perceive it because it’s hidden from Earth’s view.
In contrast, NASA has announced plans for a manned flight to the Moon by 2026 through its Artemis program. However, concerns have been raised about China’s space program potentially having military objectives by Bill Nelson, NASA administrator. Despite this, China’s exciting mission to collect rock samples from the moon’s dark side represents a significant advancement in space exploration that we should all look forward to witnessing.
