“The mission passed the high temperature test on the back side of the moon,” the Chinese space agency confirmed.
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Analyzing the collected samples will allow scientists to ” deepen the study of the moon’s formation and historical evolution,” said Ge Ping, a spokesman for the mission, quoted by Xinhua.
It will also provide information on ” the origin of the solar system (…) and will be a better basis for future research missions,” he added.
According to CNSA , the Chang’e-6 probe landed on Sunday in the huge Aitken Basin , one of the largest known impact craters in the solar system, located on the far side of the satellite.
The craft, which began a challenging 53-day mission on May 3, had a robotic arm to collect material from the surface and a drill to take samples from inside.
After collecting this material, “the Chinese national flag mounted on the lunar landing module was displayed on the back side of the moon for the first time,” Xinhua reported.
CSNA did not specify how the mission will continue, but according to specialized portals, the probe will stay in lunar orbit for several weeks and then begin its return to Earth around June 25 .
Scientists believe that this part of the Moon, never visible from Earth, has great potential for exploration because its craters are not as covered with ancient lava flows as those on the side closest to the planet.
