In a groundbreaking endeavor, China has launched an uncrewed spacecraft on a mission to retrieve rocks and soil samples from the far side of the moon. This ambitious undertaking marks a significant milestone in lunar exploration, as no other country has attempted such a feat before.
Lifted off on May 3rd, the spacecraft is scheduled to land on the Von Kármán crater, located on the far side of the moon,in late June. Once there, it will deploy a robotic arm to collect samples and transfer them to a return capsule.
The capsule will then embark on its journey back to Earth, with a touchdown anticipated in December.
The mission's primary objective is to gather samples that could shed light on the moon's formation and evolution.Scientists believe that these samples may contain unique materials and insights not found on the Earth-facing side of the moon.
This endeavor is part of China's broader lunar exploration program, which aims to establish a permanent lunar base by the 2030s. The successful retrieval of samples from the far side of the moon would represent a major step forward in achieving this ambitious goal.
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