Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
China successfully landed an uncrewed spacecraft, Chang'e-6, on the far side of the moon, aiming to retrieve rock and soil samples from this unexplored lunar region.
This mission elevates China's status in the international space race, with countries like the United States also planning to utilize lunar minerals for future moon bases and long-term astronaut missions.
Chang'e-6 landed in the South Pole-Aitken Basin, a massive impact crater on the moon's space-facing side, at 6:23 a.m. Beijing time, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
CNSA highlighted the mission's engineering innovations and significant challenges, with the lander's payloads set to perform planned scientific exploration tasks.
This mission marks China's second successful operation on the moon's far side, an area notorious for its deep craters and communication difficulties.
Chang'e-6 aims to collect 2 kg of lunar material using a scoop and drill, which will then be launched back to Earth for analysis, with a planned landing in Inner Mongolia around June 25.
The mission seeks to provide insights into the moon's 4.5 billion-year history and the solar system's formation by comparing samples from the dark side with those from the near side.
China's long-term lunar strategy includes its first astronaut landing around 2030, in partnership with Russia, while the U.S. Artemis program aims for a crewed moon landing by late 2026 or later.