Chang'e 6 facts for kids
Chang'e-5/6 spacecraft full-stack full-scale mockup
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| Mission type | Surface sample return |
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| Operator | CNSA |
| Mission duration | ~53 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | CAST |
| Launch mass | 8,200 kg (18,100 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 09:27, May 3, 2024 |
| Rocket | Long March 5 |
| Launch site | Wenchang |
| Moon lander | |
| Landing site | Southern edge of Apollo Basin 43°00′S 154°00′W / 43.0°S 154.0°WScript error: No such module "Celestial object quadrangle". |
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Chinese Lunar Exploration Program
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Chang'e 6 (Chinese: 嫦娥六号; pinyin: Cháng'é liùhào) is a robotic lunar exploration mission by the China National Space Administration. China's second sample return mission, it will attempt to obtain a sample of soil and rock from the far side of the Moon and return it to Earth. Like its predecessors in the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, the spacecraft is named after the Chinese moon goddess Chang'e. It launched on 3 May 2024 and the mission is expected to last about 53 days.
Overview
The Chinese Lunar Exploration Program is designed to be conducted in four phases of incremental technological advancement: The goal of the first phase is to reach lunar orbit; this was completed by Chang'e 1 in 2007 and by Chang'e 2 in 2010. The second phase seeks to land and rove on the Moon, a feat that was accomplished by Chang'e 3 in 2013 and by Chang'e 4 in 2019. The third phase involves the collection of lunar samples and sending them to Earth, first completed by Chang'e 5 in 2020 and planned for Chang'e 6. The fourth phase consists of the development of a robotic research station near the Moon's south pole. The program aims to facilitate crewed lunar landings in the 2030s and possibly build a crewed outpost near the lunar south pole.
The preceding Chang'e 5 mission returned 1.73 kilograms (3.8 lb) of material from the northern hemisphere of the lunar near side. Chang'e 6 mission will instead attempt to land and return material from the southern hemisphere of the lunar far side. Specifically, the landing segment of the Chang'e 6 mission will target the southern portion of the Apollo crater, which itself lies within the larger South Pole-Aitkin (SPA) impact basin on the lunar far side. It is hoped that samples collected from the target area may include lunar mantle material ejected by the original impact that created the SPA basin. The mission's lander is designed to collect up to 2 kilograms (4.4 lb) of lunar far-side material including surface soil and rocks (using a scoop) and subsurface samples (using a drill). If the mission will be successful, China will become the second nation after India to successful land on the southern side of the Moon.
Mission architecture
Chang'e 6 was built as a copy of and backup to Chang'e 5. The mission is reported to consist of four modules: the lander will collect about 2 kg (4.4 lb) of samples from 2 metres (6.6 ft) below the surface and place them in an attached ascent vehicle to be launched into lunar orbit. The ascent vehicle will then make a fully autonomous and robotic rendezvous and dock with an orbiter where the samples will be robotically transferred into a sample-return capsule for their delivery to Earth. The estimated launch mass is 8,200 kg (18,100 lb)—the lander is projected to be 3,200 kg (7,100 lb) and the ascent vehicle is about 700 kg (1,500 lb).
Science payloads
In October 2018, Chinese officials announced that they will call for international partners to propose an additional payload up to 10 kg (22 lb) to be included in this mission. In November 2022 it was announced that the mission would carry payloads from four international partners:
- a French instrument called DORN (Detection of Outgassing Radon) to study the transport of lunar dust and other volatiles between the lunar regolith and the lunar exosphere, including the water cycle
- an Italian instrument called INRRI (INstrument for landing-Roving laser Retroreflector Investigations) consisting of a passive laser retro-reflector to be used for laser range-finding of the lander, similar to those used on the Schiaparelli and InSight missions
- the Swedish NILS (Negative Ions on Lunar Surface), an instrument to detect and measure negative ions reflected by the lunar surface
- the Pakistani ICUBE-Q CubeSat orbiter developed by the Institute of Space Technology, which carries two optical cameras to image the lunar surface and obtain lunar magnetic field data
Launch
The probe was launched by a Long March 5 rocket on 3 May 2024, from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan Island.
See also
In Spanish: Chang'e 6 para niños
- Lunar resources
- Lunar water
- VIPER (rover)
- Luna 27
- LUPEX
