Since the first Chang'e mission in 2007, named after the mythical Chinese moon goddess, China has made leaps forward in its lunar exploration, narrowing the technological chasm with the United States and Russia.
In 2020, China brought back samples from the Moon's near side in the first sample retrieval in more than four decades, confirming for the first time that it could safely return an uncrewed spacecraft to Earth from the lunar surface.
This week, China is expected to launch Chang'e-6 using the backup spacecraft from the 2020 mission, and collect soil and rocks from the side of the Moon that permanently faces away from Earth.
With no direct line of sight with the Earth, Chang'e-6 must rely on a recently deployed relay satellite orbiting the Moon during its 53-day mission, including a never-beforeattempted ascent from the Moon's "hidden" side on its return journey home.
Bu hikaye The Straits Times dergisinin April 30, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Straits Times dergisinin April 30, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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