China plans to launch an unmanned lunar mission on Friday aimed at delivering samples from the back side of the moon for the first time, a potentially major step forward in the country’s ambitious space programme, AP News reports.
Free from Earth’s influence and other interference, the mysterious little-explored side of the moon is ideal for radio astronomy and other scientific work. Because the far side never faces Earth, a repeater satellite is needed to maintain communications.
The Chang’e lunar probe is named after the Chinese mythical goddess of the moon. The probe will be delivered on a Long March-5 YB rocket scheduled to launch Friday evening from the Wenchang spaceport on the southern tropical island of Hainan, the China National Space Administration said. The launch time is 5-6 p.m., with a target of 5:27 p.m.
China returned samples from the near side of the moon in 2020, the first time since the US Apollo programme ended in the 1970s. Analysis of the samples showed they contained water in tiny balls embedded in lunar dirt.
Also last week, three Chinese astronauts returned home after a six-month mission on the orbiting space station following the arrival of a replacement crew.
China built its own space station after being excluded from the International Space Station, largely because of US concerns about the Chinese military’s complete control of the space programme amid intensifying technological competition between the two geopolitical rivals. US law prohibits virtually any cooperation between the U.S. and Chinese space programmes without direct congressional approval.
China’s ambitious space programme aims to send astronauts to the moon by 2030, bring back samples from Mars around the same year and launch three lunar probes over the next four years. The next one is scheduled for 2027.
China has also said it plans to eventually allow foreign astronauts and space tourists access to its space station. As the ISS nears the end of its lifespan, China could become the only country or corporation to maintain a crewed station in orbit.
China has long said it favours the peaceful use of space and has sought to use its space prowess to promote international goodwill. This time, China said the Chang’e-6 mission will deliver scientific instruments or payloads from France, Italy, Pakistan and the European Space Agency.
Friday’s launch comes at a time when several countries are ramping up their lunar programmes amid growing attention to the potential access to resources and further access to deep space exploration that successful missions to the moon could bring.
Last year, India landed its first spacecraft on the moon, while Russia’s first lunar mission in decades ended in failure when its Luna-25 probe crashed into the lunar surface.
In January, Japan became the fifth country to land a spacecraft on the moon, although its Moon Sniper landing module suffered power problems due to an improper landing angle. The following month, IM-1, a NASA-funded mission developed by the Texas-based private firm Intuitive Machines, landed near the south pole.
