UNVEILING THE MYSTERY: CHINA'S MOMENTOUS JOURNEY TO THE MOON'S FAR SIDE

With space exploration accelerating into new frontiers of discovery, the recent landing on the far side of the moon of the Chang’e-6 spacecraft of China was a historic moment that will further enhance China’s strategic position as a pioneer in space exploration. More importantly, the mission will open new frontiers for scientific knowledge about our nearest neighbour in the cosmos as well as the origins of celestial phenomena.

CHINA'S TRAILBLAZING ACHIEVEMENT: THE CHANG’E-6 MISSION

When you see the footage (published by the China National Space Administration, or CNSA, confirming the Chang’e-6’s safe landing in the South Pole-Aitken Basin), you will feel like you are there with them – part of the expedition, stood next to the robots, marvelling at the miracle that is Earth’s Moon.

THE CHALLENGES OF LANDING ON THE DARK SIDE

The far side of the Moon is, by definition, permanently turned away from us, making any landing mission extremely difficult to communicate with. China has pulled off the feat (and is the only country to have done so) by clever engineering, including the installation of the world’s very first autonomous visual obstacle avoidance system aboard the Chang’e-6 lander. This hardware ticks large rocks and deep pits, ensuring a safe touchdown.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MISSION'S DESTINATION

There’s nothing random about the choice of SPAB as the landing site. Its scientific potential is immense. It could reveal more about how the moon formed and how planets and other bodies in the solar system formed. It might even answer the age-old question of where water comes from in our solar system.

CHINA'S AMBITIOUS LUNAR PLANS

The Chang’e-6 mission is part of a phased programme of careful lunar exploration. Since the successful sample return of the Chang’e-5 mission in late 2020, CNSA’s confidence has clearly been reignited. The agency is also looking far beyond the current period of exploration. They already have plans for a permanent lunar base, for early versions of which they are trying to adapt Komarov’s ‘regeneration box’ ideal. Very soon, they hope to have the resources to make the base like the international space stations, so humans can live and work there.

COLLABORATION AND COMPETITION IN SPACE

Along with China’s growing aspirations in space, this mission will reflect and inspire advancements in international knowledge as well. After all, it has long been evident that, for each of us, space exploration does not merely serve as a contest for supremacy, but a shared path to explore, discover and connect worlds – and knowledge – afar. As the Moon grows closer each day, it serves as a constant reminder that the future of our existence is forever intertwined with the expansive realm of the heavens.

THE QUEST FOR KNOWLEDGE: FROM THE MOON AND BEYOND

By acquiring the first rocks and soil from the far side of the moon and returning them to Earth, the Chang’e-6 mission will write the next chapter in humankind’s exploration of space – and scientists around the world will be waiting with bated breath to examine the samples to learn more about the history of the Moon’s formation and the entire universe.

FUTURE MISSIONS AND THE ROAD AHEAD

But this mission is not the end of lunar exploration, but a new beginning in space pioneering. China has already outlined future plans, including the expected lunar landing of the taikonauts. For every probe, step on the Moon, we get closer to answers, to learn about space and about ourselves.

UNDERSTANDING ORIGIN: THE HEART OF CELESTIAL EXPLORATIONS

The search for the elusive beginnings of Earth and other celestial bodies propels people to explore space today. With every mission, we gain new insights into the universe’s formation and evolution by extracting data that help to answer questions about the origin of water in our solar system, the formation of planets, and the conditions conducive to the genesis of life.

THE IMPACT ON HUMANITY'S FUTURE

The more we learn about space and the evolution of celestial phenomena, the more possibilities we open up for technology and even humanity’s future off-world as we begin to uncover not only the origins of space, but what the future of it holds. With new horizons comes the potential for new resources and other technologies – not to mention new homes.

In sum, China’s impressive landing of Chang’e-6 on the far side of the Moon is an important space exploration milestone that will likely unravel the cosmic secrets of our solar system and far beyond. When it comes to future missions, everything will not be possible-at least not yet. But we are getting there.