China landed on the far side of the moon to explore the mysterious planet, and the United States wants a piece of the pie?
On May 3, 2024, China's Chang'e-6 probe is expected to fly to the vast universe on board the Long March 5 carrier rocket, starting a new journey of lunar exploration. This will be the first reconnaissance voyage to collect samples from the far side of the moon after Chang'e-5 collected samples from the far side of the moon. Once the mission is successful, it will not only write a strong stroke in the history of human spaceflight, unveil the mystery of the far side of the moon, but also hope to provide new clues for exploring the mysteries of the universe.
Explore the unique geology of the far side of the Moon and get samples like never before
Scientists believe that the geological environment on the far side of the moon is significantly different from the front side. The front side of the moon has been violently invaded by meteorite impacts, and many craters have formed on the surface, and the geological structure is relatively young. The far side of the Moon, on the other hand, is relatively old and retains more geological information in its original state. Chang'e-6 plans to collect precious lunar soil samples in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the Moon, an area that has never been touched by humans. By analyzing the structure, physical properties and material composition of lunar soil, it is expected to gain unique insights into the formation and evolution of the moon.
In addition to lunar soil samples, Chang'e-6 will also carry space payloads from four countries, including the Italian laser angle mirror and the Pakistani CubeSat. Cooperation between different countries will promote exchanges and collisions, which is expected to bring more innovative breakthroughs. In addition, the joint study of samples from the front and back of the Moon will paint a more complete picture of the Moon and provide insight into how it was formed.
The Queqiao-2 relay satellite escorts to ensure that the signal is unimpeded
In order to ensure smooth communication with the Earth, China has launched the Queqiao-2 relay satellite into lunar orbit before the Chang'e-6 mission. Due to the rotation of the Moon itself, its far side has never been able to exchange signals directly with the Earth. Queqiao-2 will act as a signal relay station, receiving information from Chang'e-6 and relaying it to the ground control center. This advanced communication system will greatly improve the operational efficiency of Chang'e-6.
It is worth mentioning that in addition to the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, the mission is also equipped with two Tiandu exploration satellites. This is the first time that China has deployed a constellation of microsatellites in orbit around the moon, aiming to carry out lunar technology test verification. In the future, the construction of the lunar communication and navigation constellation will pave the way for the development of lunar resources on a human scale.
The aerospace competition between China and the United States has escalated, sharing samples and new wrestling?
The departure of Chang'e-6 is bound to intensify the competition between China and the United States in the field of space. After Chang'e-5 returned from collecting samples from the front of the moon last time, the United States was salivating and applied to share China's lunar soil samples. Although it did not receive a share due to the "Wolf Amendment" signed by China and the United States to ban scientific and technological cooperation, it is expected that after the return of Chang'e-6, the United States will be more keen to repeat the salivating scene.
Looking at the space relationship between China and the United States, China has always adhered to the "principle of sovereignty" and allowed conditional opening-up for the benefit of the whole world. Previously, China had rejected the U.S. application to join China's space station, mainly because the U.S. had not lifted the relevant cooperation restrictions. Therefore, unless the US government completely repeals the "Wolf Amendment", the desire to obtain Chinese lunar samples can only be in vain.
In the future, as the competition between countries around the world in the field of lunar exploration becomes increasingly fierce, China and the United States are likely to launch a new round of offensive and defensive battles on issues such as openness and intellectual property rights. Regardless of the form, once space science and technology become a new battlefield in the contest between major powers, it will mean that the principle of mankind's peaceful use of outer space will be further tested.
Overall, Chang'e-6's exploration of the far side of the moon will lead to many scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs. As a key step in China's lunar exploration program, it will further enhance the country's comprehensive strength and is also expected to clear the clouds and see the light of day for unlocking the mysteries of the universe. In contrast, the contest between the major international powers over aerospace science and technology will also become more and more intense, and all kinds of old and new contradictions still need to be resolved. But no matter what, mankind's dream of the vast universe has never stopped, and we will eventually continue our journey in the vast starry sky and write an immortal chapter.