This is the next phase of a heated competition between China and NASA to establish moon bases and then launch spacecraft to Mars.
Beijing’s lunar exploration has advanced significantly since the inaugural Chang’e mission in 2007, which was named after a legendary Chinese moon goddess.
What action will Chang’e 6 take?
The massive South Pole-Aitken Basin will be the site of the spacecraft’s landing on its northeastern flank. In the solar system, it is the oldest impact crater.
It will gather samples there to return to Earth so that researchers may examine what is on the moon’s far side for the first time. Chang’e-4, the mission’s antecedent, made history in 2019 by being the first spaceship to land safely on the moon’s far side.
