"Chang'e-6's lunar exploration mission is really burning money!" This was the Indian president's first reaction after hearing that China's Chang'e-6 had successfully brought back samples from the far side of the moon.
He even joked that China's lunar exploration cost billions of yuan, while India's lunar landing that year only cost 74.6 million US dollars. What the hell is going on?
Chang'e-6, a new star of China's lunar exploration program, was launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan on May 3, 2024, and successfully landed on the far side of the moon on June 2.
The highlight of the mission was the safe landing of the Chang'e-6 return capsule carrying lunar samples on June 25, from which scientists obtained a sample weighing 1,935.3 grams from the far side of the moon.
These samples will provide scientists with first-hand information on important topics such as the geological evolution and internal structure of the Moon. It has to be said that this is truly an exhilarating scientific feat!
The high cost of the mission also caused a lot of controversy. Experts point out that Chang'e-6's lunar exploration trip cost at least several billion yuan. In this regard, the Indian side also unceremoniously expressed its dissatisfaction.
The Indian president even sarcastically said in public that the cost of China's lunar exploration is too high, and the cost of India's moon landing that year was only 74.6 million US dollars, or about 540 million yuan. The controversy between the two countries for lunar exploration began.
The success of Chang'e-6 has not only made the domestic people extremely proud, but also caused a strong response in the international community. Scientists and space experts from many countries have expressed their admiration for China's achievements in lunar exploration. India's attitude towards this achievement, by contrast, is particularly sour.
The current dispute between China and India over lunar exploration has actually revealed the very different modes of lunar exploration between the two countries. China's lunar exploration program has demonstrated a solid technological foundation and continuous innovation capabilities.
Whether it is the research and development of launch vehicles, or the application of precision landing systems and thermal control technology, China has demonstrated its superior scientific research strength.
In addition, China's lunar exploration program is a long-term, systematic plan, with each step paving the way for future goals. From Chang'e-1 to Chang'e-6, each mission has laid a solid foundation for subsequent missions.
In contrast, India's lunar exploration model relies more on international cooperation and technology imports. Although India has successfully achieved a low-cost moon landing, the road to independent research and development has not been smooth.
India's lunar exploration program, although it has achieved the moon landing, many of the key technologies have been obtained through international cooperation. The challenge of independent research and development has made India's lunar exploration program require more time and resources to achieve a real breakthrough.
First, let's take a look at China's lunar exploration model. China has demonstrated a solid technological foundation and continuous innovation capability in the lunar exploration program.
The success of Chang'e-6 is not only a huge leap forward in technology, but also the result of China's years of accumulation in the aerospace field. China's lunar exploration program was not accomplished overnight, but was planned over a long period of time and systematically.
Each mission builds on the previous one. For example, the successful landing of Chang'e-3 provided valuable experience and technical support for the follow-up Chang'e-4 and Chang'e-5.
Chang'e-6, on the basis of previous missions, has achieved the feat of sampling from the far side of the moon and returning safely to Earth.
In addition, China has demonstrated a high level of independent innovation in its lunar exploration mission. Whether it is the research and development of launch vehicles, or the application of precision landing systems and thermal control technology, it reflects China's profound accumulation in the field of aerospace technology.
In particular, the successful landing of Chang'e-6 on the far side of the moon marks another major breakthrough in China's precision landing technology. This technology not only provides a guarantee for lunar exploration missions, but also lays the foundation for future deep space exploration.
India, on the other hand, has made some achievements in its lunar exploration program, but it relies more on international cooperation and the introduction of technology. India's Chandrayaan-2 probe successfully entered lunar orbit, but ultimately failed to achieve a soft landing, in stark contrast to the successful landings of China's Chang'e-3 and Chang'e-4.
Although India has made some progress in the lunar exploration mission, the road to independent research and development is still full of challenges. India still needs to rely on international cooperation and imported technology for many key technologies, which also limits the improvement of its lunar exploration capabilities to a certain extent.
Against this backdrop, the issue of cost has naturally come into focus. India's president claims that its lunar exploration cost only $74.6 million, while China's Chang'e-6 cost billions of yuan.
This comparison seems that China has problems in cost control, but in fact, the cost of the lunar exploration mission is not only a monetary investment, but also the accumulation of technology, experience and innovation.
China has invested a lot of resources in its lunar exploration mission, not only to achieve a successful moon landing, but also to lay the foundation for larger-scale deep space exploration in the future.
So, does high cost mean high value? In fact, the real significance of the lunar exploration mission lies not only in the cost, but also in its role in promoting scientific research and technological development.
The lunar samples brought back by Chang'e-6 will provide scientists with first-hand information on important topics such as the geological evolution and internal structure of the moon. The results of the research of these samples will not only enrich our knowledge of the Moon
It will also provide valuable data support for future deep space exploration.
(Disclaimer) The process and pictures described in the article are from the Internet, and this article aims to advocate positive social energy and no vulgar and other bad guidance. If it involves copyright or character infringement issues, please contact us in time, and we will delete the content as soon as possible! If there is any doubt about the incident, it will be deleted or changed immediately after contact.