On April 12th, it was reported that China's Chang'e 6 mission is set to depart for the Moon in the first half of this year to collect samples and return them to Earth. The launch is scheduled to take place at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China.
Today, the official "Wenchang Aerospace Culture Tourism" WeChat account announced the recruitment for a "Chang'e 6 Rocket Launch Observation Day Tour," expected to take place around May Day.
It's reported that the Chang'e 6 mission is more complex than any previous lunar exploration endeavor, aiming to conduct sample return missions from the far side of the Moon, exploring uncharted territories.
Particularly challenging is the requirement for the lander to possess autonomous sampling, ascent, and takeoff capabilities after landing on the Moon, presenting significant difficulties and formidable challenges.
It is reported that humans have conducted over 10 lunar sample return missions to date, all of which have been on the near side of the moon. The far side of the moon is generally older than the near side and contains the South Pole-Aitken Basin, one of the moon's three largest lunar basins, which holds significant scientific value.
The landing site for the Chang'e 6 mission is preselected in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon. The mission aims to discover and collect lunar samples from different regions and ages, thus advancing human understanding of the moon.
If successful, this mission would make China the first country to achieve a successful lunar sample return mission from the far side of the moon.
