Historic Mission: Chang’e-6 Set to Collect First-Ever Samples from Moon’s Dark Side

China’s Chang’e-6 probe is attempting to land on the moon to bring back soil samples from the moon’s far side for the first time in history. This mission is garnering attention as a new milestone in space exploration.

The Chang’e-6 probe is scheduled to land in the Apollo impact crater on the moon’s far side at 8 PM EST on June 1st.

The Apollo impact crater is located northeast of the Aitken Basin and is evaluated as an area with diverse geological features.

Chinese researchers expect this area to be rich in diverse materials due to asteroid collisions and volcanic activities during the early formation of the moon.

The probe waited for the Apollo impact crater to become daylight after entering the moon’s orbit on May 7. The daylight, when sunlight comes in, started on May 28. Daylight is crucial for the probe to function normally by securing sunlight.

If the landing is successful, the Chang’e-6 probe plans to collect about 2kg of soil samples within 48 hours using its onboard equipment.

The samples will then be placed in a capsule and returned to Earth. The capsule containing the samples is expected to arrive on Earth on June 25.

If the Chang’e-6 mission is successful, it will be recorded as a great achievement of mankind, bringing back soil samples from the far side of the moon to Earth for the first time.