On May 3, 2024, China launched the Chang’e-6 lunar probe from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre on Hainan Island. This mission is particularly notable as it targets the collection of samples from the far side of the moon, an area not directly visible from Earth and largely unexplored. The Chang’e-6 mission, involving a 53-day procedure for orbiting, sampling, and returning to Earth, aims to provide insights into the moon’s composition and geological history.

The Long March-5 rocket, China’s largest, carried the spacecraft towards the South Pole-Aitken Basin, a significant and lesser-studied region on the moon’s surface. This mission follows China’s previous achievement of landing a rover on the moon’s far side in 2019 and returning samples from the near side in 2020.

The mission underlines China’s broader space ambitions, including plans to land humans on the moon by 2030 and to establish a permanent manned lunar base. The Chinese Lunar Exploration Program is set to continue with additional missions, such as Chang’e 7 and Chang’e 8, which will precede the proposed construction of an International Lunar Research Station.

Collaboration with international partners such as France, Italy, and Sweden is a key aspect of the Chang’e-6 mission, indicating the importance of global cooperation in space exploration.

This launch comes amid a backdrop of intense competition in space exploration, with China and the US prominently advancing their respective programs. The US, through NASA, has expressed concerns over a potential new space race, stressed by the geopolitical dynamics accompanying these missions.

The success of the Chang’e-6 mission is expected to contribute significantly to our understanding of the moon and help advance technology for future space endeavors.