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LANDING SITEApollo Basin (far side)
LAT-41.64°
LON-153.99°
MOON
Jun 2, 2024
LANDING DATE
2024
53 days (total mission)
MISSION DURATION
TOTAL
-150 to 120 C
SURFACE TEMP
AT LANDING SITE
8,200
KG
MASS
8
INSTRUMENTS
SCIENTIFIC PAYLOAD
Chang’e 6 is a sample return lander mission by CNSA on Moon. Landed June 2, 2024. Landing site: Apollo Basin (far side).
ABOUT CHANG’E 6
Chang’e 6 achieved a historic first by collecting and returning samples from the far side of the Moon. Landing within the Apollo Basin inside the vast South Pole-Aitken Basin, it collected 1,935 grams of material using both a drill and a surface scoop. The mission relied on the Queqiao-2 relay satellite for communications since the far side never faces Earth. The returned samples provide the first direct analysis of far-side material, which early studies show is compositionally distinct from near-side samples.
KEY DISCOVERIES
- Returned 1,935 grams of far-side lunar material
- Far-side material compositionally different from near-side samples
- First direct sampling of South Pole-Aitken Basin interior
- International payloads from ESA, France, Sweden, Italy, and Pakistan
TECHNOLOGY & FIRSTS
- First sample return from the lunar far side
- Used Queqiao-2 relay satellite for far-side communications
- Most complex robotic sample return mission ever
SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS (8)
Panoramic Camera
Mineral Spectrometer
Soil Structure Analyzer
Lunar Surface Sampling Device
DORN radon detector (French)
NILS negative ion detector (Swedish)
ICUBE-Q CubeSat (Pakistan)
Mini rover (Italy/China)
SPACECRAFT SPECIFICATIONS
Mass8,200 kg (18,081 lbs)
PowerSolar panels
CommunicationsVia Queqiao-2 relay satellite
Design Life2 days on surface
Landing DateJune 2, 2024
Mission EndJune 25, 2024
ProgramChinese Lunar Exploration
SURFACE DATA
Surface Temperature-150 to 120 C
OTHER MOON LANDERS