China is making history and receiving the first samples of the hidden side of the Moon

China's space race is truly amazing. A few decades ago, the Asian giant lacked the necessary components to overshadow space superpowers like the US or Russia, however, with a powerful economic injection, an impressive team of engineers and stealthy work (Although full of secrecy) is superior in many respects to NASA or Roscosmos.

In recent years, China has developed a comprehensive program of its own missiles, probes, ships, rovers and space stations. Since they achieved their first controlled lunar landing in 2013, they have successfully returned to the moon four times…the last of which will make history. The first mission to return with samples from the far side of the Moon.

Today, June 25, 2024The Chang'e 6 probe has returned from its 53-day journey to the most unknown side of our natural satellite.. It was launched on May 3, reached lunar orbit five days later, and landed on June 2, collecting samples for the first time at a distance and returning them to Earth. Julius Caesar would say two millennia ago: I came, I saw, I conquered.

A return capsule containing samples was parachuted into the Mongolian steppe in northern China, and those in charge of the mission confirm it. It brings about two kilograms of regolith and rocks from the far side of the satellite. Samples come from Aitken BasinA region near the moon's south pole is where previous geological studies have found the oldest materials on the lunar surface.

The collected samples are currently being transported to a laboratory in Beijing where they will be analyzed in depth. Chinese officials have said that after these first analyses, the rocks will be made available to researchers in other countries who request them.

But why is it so important to have samples of the hidden side of our satellite? The answer to this question is very detailed. For the first time, we have samples from the hidden side, an area very different from the one we've explored historically, for example with the Apollo program, which always landed on the visible side. Additionally, the collected material could provide information about why the near and far sides are different, as well as clues about the history of the early solar system.

The two sides of our satellite are very different. Its formation and composition still represent a mystery and analyzing real samples from the hidden side (compared to existing ones from the visible side) may give us the keys to this disparity.

But this is a very important milestone for the future. China is in an obvious race to reach these unexplored areas, facing a union of NASA and SpaceX. China's next lunar mission will be Chang'e 7, which will launch in 2026. A challenge in space infrastructure It will consist of an orbiter, a lander, a mobile miniprobe and a rover. Then comes a new mission to harness technology and resources, followed by Chang'e-8 in 2028… all of which will be a prelude to the first manned mission China wants to put its astronauts on. surface before 2030.

Scientific notes and additional information:

Daniel MarinChang'e 6: First departure from the far side of the MoonEureka, Naugas (2024)

Simone McCarthyChina's Chang'e-6 lunar probe returns to Earth with historic distance models”CNN (2024)