On May 3, China launched a group of four spacecraft toward the Moon as part of one of its most ambitious missions to date.
The goal is to send the first samples from the far side of the moon safely back to Earth, where they may shed light on our planet, our nearest neighbor, and the early Solar System. The quartet will have to execute a complex cosmic dance to accomplish this.
The Chang’e-6 spacecraft traveled to the Moon for around 4.5 days. A lander broke apart from the orbiter and headed for a landing spot once it was in orbit around the moon.
It is expected to land in the Apollo crater on the far side of the satellite in early June. Since this far side of the Moon never faces Earth, Queqiao-2, a communications relay satellite launched by China in March, will aid in operations and communications with Earth.
The lander will gather items from the surface and below the surface using a scoop and a drill. An ascender will launch these into lunar orbit, when it will have to catch up to the orbiter and deliver its valuable cargo.
