Beijing. China will land its spacecraft on the dark side of the moon. The spacecraft will collect samples from there and return to Earth. This mission is named Changai-Six.
This will be the first time that any country has launched a mission to return samples from the far side of the moon. Earlier, China had landed its lander there. China is preparing to launch this mission in May this year.
Engineers working on this mission are not able to meet their family members. Engineers are said to be working day and night on this mission even when the Lunar New Year public holiday is going on across the country, as the craft should be ready for launch before May. After the success of the Changi-5 mission in 2020, the same team is working on this project. Tests related to this mission are currently underway. Necessary changes are being made. If this mission is successful, China will be the first country in the world to bring samples from the far side of the moon.
This mission will last for 53 days. The spacecraft will land in the Apollo basin on the far side of the moon. From there, the spacecraft will collect about 2 kilograms of samples. Then the spacecraft will fly back to Earth. The sample will be taken by drilling a hole on the surface or from the frozen soil in the upper part.
In China, the moon goddess is called Changai. That is why China has given this name to all lunar missions. A satellite will be launched in February or March to support this mission. It is said that this satellite will help in this mission. The Earth will never be visible from the landing site of Changi-6. Hence, it is said that this satellite will help maintain communication between the spacecraft and the station on the ground.