Details have been revealed of a 2022 mission by a satellite so powerful it can see an ultra-dim target in space from 2 million km away. It has shed new light on China’s satellite capabilities, and may give the US more cause for concern over Beijing’s growing space power.
This image taken from video animation at Beijing Aerospace Control Centre on June 4, 2024 shows the ascender of China 's Chang'e-6 probe, carrying samples collected from the moon's far side, lifting off from lunar surface. - Xinhua
It was the first craft to ever successfully take off from the satellite's far side, with state news agency Xinhua describing the launch as"an unprecedented feat in human lunar exploration history". The Chang'e-6 module touched down on Sunday in the Moon's immense South Pole-Aitken Basin, one of the largest known impact craters in the solar system, according to the CNSA.The Chang'e-6 features two methods of sample collection: a drill to gather material under the surface and a robotic arm to grab specimens above the surface.
Material collected from the far side may better shed light on how the Moon formed in the first place.Beijing has poured huge resources into its space programme over the past decade, targeting a string of ambitious undertakings in an effort to close the gap with the two traditional space powers -- the United States and Russia.
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