HELSINKI – China is gearing up for future space missions after retrieving nearly two kilos of lunar samples from the far side of the moon.
The Chang’e-6 reentry capsule landed back on Earth on June 25, successfully ending a 53-day mission. The capsule was recovered as planned in the grasslands of Siziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia.
The capsule was brought to Beijing by plane and opened on June 26 to collect the sample canister. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced on Friday that it contained 1,935.3 grams of samples.
The mission aimed to collect up to 2,000 grams. The 2020 Chang’e-5 near side mission collected 1,731 grams. That mission encountered a drilling problem that affected the amount collected.
The National Astronomical Observatories of Chinese Academy of Sciences will then open the sample container. NAOC will then prepare the samples obtained by drilling and surface retrieval and package them for storage.
It is expected that domestic scientific research institutions will be able to request samples after six months. Samples will be opened to international requests two years later, according to the CNSA regulations for the management of lunar samples.
Ge Ping, a spokesperson for the CNSA, said the samples are stickier and more compact than previous lunar samples.
South Pole-Aitken Mysteries
According to a 2023 paper on the proposed landing area, the hope is that the samples will “answer questions about the various dichotomies between the near and far sides of the moon and provide new insights into both the solar system’s early impact history and the geological evolution of the moon.”
“The samples collected from the South Pole-Aitken Basin can be very different from the samples collected from the leading edge, which is conducive to a more comprehensive understanding of the moon’s geological evolution history,” said Li Chunlai, deputy chief designer of the moon. The Chang’e-6 mission said this during a press conference in Beijing on June 27.
How revealing the samples will be remains to be seen. “There is no doubt that the return of the samples on the other side will provide unique insights into the nature of the moon’s evolution. And the fact that they just landed safely on Earth is a remarkable achievement for China,” said Clive Neal, a professor and lunar scientist at the University of Notre Dame. Space News.
However, Neal notes that the landing site is some of the oldest terrain on the Moon. As such, it is likely that material from the impact of the South Pole-Aitken Basin, a vast basin formed by a massive, ancient impact and of great scientific importance, will be diluted, obscured, and redistributed by later geologic processing.
“Whether they will unequivocally prove the age of the Aitken Basin at the South Pole or define the first mantle sample returned from the moon remains to be seen, but these samples will reveal secrets for decades to come, just like the Apollo samples have done.”
Deep space missions on the horizon
CNSA officials said Thursday that the second Tianwen mission will launch in 2025. Tianwen-2 is a combined asteroid sample return and comet encounter mission. The launch is currently scheduled for May 2025 on a Long March 3B rocket.
The mission will target nearby asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa, collect samples, and return to Earth about 2.5 years after launch. The spacecraft will deliver samples and then set a course for main belt comet 311P/PANSTARRS.
It was also reiterated that the third and fourth Tianwen missions will launch around 2030. These are the Tianwen-3 Mars sample return and the Tianwen-4 Jupiter mission. The latter will currently include a solar-powered Jupiter orbiter and a smaller, radioisotope-powered spacecraft to fly by Uranus.
Bian Zhigang, deputy administrator of CNSA, said China will also implement major national scientific and technological projects and programs in the field of aerospace. These include heavy launch vehicles and reusable space transport systems. In addition, China aims to strengthen basic research, accelerate the research and development of key core technologies, and promote innovative development in space science, space technology and space applications.
Next moon missionscooperation
Next, China is preparing for the Chang’e-7 lunar south pole mission that is expected to target the Shackleton crater. It will be supported by the Queqiao-2 relay satellite that made the Chang’e-6 mission possible.
CNSA published a notice of opportunity in late 2023 for its Chang’e-8 lunar-south pole mission in 2028. There is a 200-kilogram payload for international cooperation. CNSA announced Thursday that it has received more than 30 letters of intent to participate in the mission.
It was also said that CNSA has signed cooperation documents with more than 10 countries regarding the China-led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). The countries were not named. SpaceNews reports that there are 10 countries, in addition to China.
In response to a question about cooperation with the United States, Bian said the US must remove obstacles. He specifically mentioned the so-called Wolf Amendment.
“If the American side sincerely hopes to carry out normal space exchanges with China, it must take practical measures to remove the obstacles. As for China’s future space plans, they will be carried out at China’s own pace for peaceful uses. We always want to develop an equal and mutually beneficial cooperation in an open and inclusive attitude,” said Bian.