Chang'e-6 makes historic landing, unfurls flag on Moon's far side
The Chinese space probe Chang'e-6 has landed on the far side of the Moon, marking a significant achievement for the China National Space Administration. The mission's success was symbolically confirmed as the probe collected soil samples and unfurled the Chinese flag.
The Chinese space probe Chang'e-6 began its mission on May 3, 2024, and less than a month later, it reached the far side of the Moon. Its landing site was the southern part of the Apollo Crater in the South Pole-Aitken basin region.
"Mission accomplished! #ChangE6 has taken off from lunar surface after finishing the rapid intelligent sampling work & displaying China’s national flagfor the first time on the far side of the moon. An unprecedented feat in human lunar exploration history!" commented Deputy Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China Hua Chunying.
Experts at Phys.org highlight the tremendous advances in the Chinese space program. The program's objective is to send humans to the Moon before the end of this decade, making China the second country after the United States to achieve such a distinction.
Success of the Chinese space probe
The landing of the Chinese space probe Chang'e-6 on the far side of the Moon has been recognized as a monumental accomplishment for the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The success was also celebrated on the Silver Globe.
Before returning, the Chang'e-6 probe unfurled the Chinese flag. According to an animation by the Chinese news agency Xinhua, a small flag made of special composite materials was used. The lunar lander's arm extended the flag but was not planted into the surface of the Silver Globe. This gesture not only confirms the mission's success but also demonstrates the power of the nation.
The first such mission on the Moon
The Chang'e-6 probe collected approximately 1.8 kilograms of rock and soil samples and placed them inside its ascending element in a container. Unlike previous missions by the United States and the Soviet Union, this time, samples were collected from the far side of the Moon.
The container was transferred to the return capsule, which began its journey to Earth. The capsule with the lunar rock and soil samples is expected to land in the deserts of China's Inner Mongolia region on June 25 at 10:00 PM Eastern Time.
