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4th May 2024 (13 Topics)

China launches Chang’e-6 to far side of the Moon

Context

China launched a lunar probe Chang’e-6 to land on the far side of the moon and return with samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side. 

Key-highlights:

  • The Chang’e-6 lunar probewas carried aboard a Long March 5 rocket.
  • If successful, it will make China the first nation to ever retrieve samples from the far-side of the moon.
  • The anticipated 53-day mission comes after China became the first country in 2013 to achieve a robotic lunar landing in nearly four decades, and two years after the nation completed its own orbital space station, the Tiangong, in 2022 to rival the International Space Station.
  • The goal of China's mission is to either land or orbit the moon. Previous lunar missions have also been launched.
  • Other Significant Lunar Missions:
    • Around the same time last year, India successfully landed its first spacecraft, the Chandrayaan-3, on the moon.
    • When Russia's Luna 25 probe crashed into the lunar surface, its first lunar mission in decades came to an abrupt end.
    • Japan joined India, the United States, China, and Russia/Soviet Union as the countries with the most unmanned spacecraft landings on the moon in January.

Fact Box: Dark Side of the Moon

  • The side of the Moon that is hidden from view from Earth is known as the far side. Its reduced visibility from Earth is caused by a phenomenon known as "tidal locking."
  • The phrase "dark side of the moon" has occasionally been used to describe the hidden side of the moon, mostly in connection to the 1973 Pink Floyd album of the same name
  • It is very different from the near side.
  • Despite appearing black, the far side of the moon receives plenty of light and goes through lunar day and night exactly like the near side.
    • A lunar night lasts roughly two weeks, and a lunar day lasts little more than 29 days.
    • The moon rotates around its axis and completes an orbit of Earth in approximately 27 days, so the same side faces Earth every time.
  • Near side: The 60% of the moon that is visible from Earth is referred to as the near side. Throughout history, humans have visited this side of the moon, which is always facing Earth, on multiple lunar expeditions.
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