Change 6 Mission

Chang’e 6 Mission 

Context: China’s Chang’e 6 mission’s spacecraft successfully landed in a huge crater known as the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon (the side that does not face the earth). The mission is the sixth in the Chang’e moon exploration programme and is the
second designed to bring back samples.

Chang’e Moon Exploration Programme

o China’s lunar programme Chang’e (named after a Chinese moon goddess) has been launching lunar missions comprising orbiters, landers, rovers, and sample-return spacecraft since 2007.
o While Chang’e 1 and 2 launched lunar orbiters, Chang’e 3 launched the Yutu rover, which conducted a series
of experiments on the lunar surface.
o The Chang’e 4 mission launched the Yutu-2 rover, which became the first rover to successfully soft-land on the moon’s far side. It landed in the Von Karman crater in the South Pole-Aitkin Basin. The orbiter of Chang’s 4 was Queqiao.
o Chang’e 5 mission’s lander landed on Mons Rumker, a vast volcanic plain and collected regolith (the layer of soil composed of loose rocks, dust, and other debris that covers the moon’s surface).
o Chang’e 6 was a backup to Chang’e 5, and it will be followed by Chang’e 7 and 8 in 2026 and 2027.