China embarks on world's second landing on moon's far side: summary

What we know

• On the morning of June 2, a significant milestone was achieved in China's historic journey to the moon with the successful landing of the Chang'e 6 robotic mission's craft on the lesser-explored far side of the lunar surface.
• The China National Space Administration reports that the landing for the Chang'e 6 mission began on May 30. This initial phase involved the separation of the lander from the orbiter and reentry capsule, setting the stage for the subsequent lunar touchdown.
• Guided by the Queqiao 2 relay satellite, the Chang'e 6 lander gently alighted on the moon's surface at 6:23 am CST, targeting a pre-determined location within the expansive South Pole-Aitken Basin, known as the moon's most extensive, ancient, and profound basin.
• The successful landing marked the second instance of a spacecraft, both from China and globally, to make contact with the moon's "unknown" far side. This event is of scientific interest as it is thought to harbour answers to numerous mysteries about the moon and the broader solar system.
• From June 5 the spacecraft is programmed to use a robotic arm and drilling equipment to gather samples from both the lunar surface and underground layers. These samples will be secured in a container, which will then be dispatched into lunar orbit, commencing their journey back to Earth.

What they said

As the landing unfolded at the National Astronomical Observatories, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the lead researcher of France's lunar radon detection initiative as reported by Xinhua expressed that this moment had been anticipated by him and his team for many years. "We were looking at the moon almost every night here in Beijing." Neil Melville-Kenney, technical officer of the ESA's Negative Ions on the Lunar Surface project also added "It's a very impressive and ambitious mission. We are very pleased to be a part of it. The collaboration has gone very smoothly. I think space exploration encourages us to consider our planet as one and our people as one."