Chang'e-6 lunar mission

[otter]

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-04/24/c_139903600.htm

China aims to launch Chang'e-6 lunar probe around 2024
Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-24 23:37:03

NANJING, April 24 (Xinhua) -- China aims to launch the Chang'e-6 probe to collect samples in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon around 2024, said a space expert on Saturday.

Hu Hao, the chief designer of the third stage of China's lunar exploration program, told the China Space Conference, held in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, that detailed designing on the mission is in progress.

China launched the Chang'e-5 probe in 2020, successfully bringing home 1,731 grams of moon samples.

As the backup of the Chang'e-5 mission, the Chang'e-6 mission would also collect lunar samples automatically for comprehensive analysis and research.

The China National Space Administration has invited scientists around the world to participate in the program, offering to carry solicited payloads.

Four payloads developed by scientists from France, Sweden, Italy, Russia and China have been preliminarily selected. After the detailed plan of the Chang'e-6 mission comes out, the payloads will be finally determined, said Hu.

China will carry out lunar resource exploration, scientific research and technological experiments in the Chang'e-6, Chang'e-7 and Chang'e-8 missions, aiming to build a prototype scientific research station on the moon by 2030, Hu added.

[vjkane]

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-04/24/c_139903600.htm

NANJING, April 24 (Xinhua) -- China aims to launch the Chang'e-6 probe to collect samples in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon around 2024, said a space expert on Saturday.

One of the candidate missions for the next New Frontiers mission is a sample return from the South Pole-Aitken Basin.  If China is committed to this mission, and it appears that it is, then that might make a proposal to the NASA competition non competitive.

[Phil Stooke]

I think this has been mentioned before (the new thing in this announcement is really just the date and foreign involvement).

Although this says 'South Pole-Aitken Basin', all other discussion of it has pointed to the South Pole.  Technically this is in the basin or on its rim, but it's absolutely not the same as the stated objective of past US mission proposals, which is to sample impact basin melt near the middle of the basin.  I would expect to see a Chinese mission primarily interested in volatiles in the regolith, with a secondary interest in collecting basin rim fragments, and a US mission dedicated to impact melt pool sampling.  They would be complementary, not competitive.

[vjkane]

I think this has been mentioned before (the new thing in this announcement is really just the date and foreign involvement).

Although this says 'South Pole-Aitken Basin', all other discussion of it has pointed to the South Pole.  Technically this is in the basin or on its rim, but it's absolutely not the same as the stated objective of past US mission proposals, which is to sample impact basin melt near the middle of the basin.  I would expect to see a Chinese mission primarily interested in volatiles in the regolith, with a secondary interest in collecting basin rim fragments, and a US mission dedicated to impact melt pool sampling.  They would be complementary, not competitive.

Phil, the more detailed descriptions that I've seen of this mission's potential landing sites say either south pole with a focus on volatiles OR South Pole-Aitken Basin.  The choice of wording here suggests to me that they have decided on sampling the impact melt pool sampling and therefore studying the moon's early history.  The descriptions of Chang'e-7 have been clear about studying the volatiles.

Of course, with Chinese drips of information on missions, there often is some tea leaf reading needed.

[vjkane]

Per an article in Space.com, China will use the Chang'e 6 mission to return a sample from the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin on the far side of the moon. This would effectively replace the candidate mission with the same goal on the New Frontiers 5 mission list.

https://www.space.com/china-chang-e-6-moon-sample-return-preparations?utm_source=pocket_mylist

[Phil Stooke]

It is confusing, as always with Chinese missions.  The Space.com article also says CE6 will be part of the China-Russia lunar research station which appears to be aiming at Amundsen crater:

"Chang'e 6 is being listed as an early part of a joint project with Russia to establish an International Lunar Research Station."

The article mentions the need for a relay satellite.  In Amundsen with careful timing a relay would not be needed.

Amundsen is technically in the SPA basin but far from the impact melt areas of greatest interest to most North American geologists.  In fact you can never really trust anything that refers to the SPA basin without some serious clarification.  So basically I feel we are still in the same confusing place referred to in the previous set of posts. 

[libra]

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-04/24/c_139903600.htm

NANJING, April 24 (Xinhua) -- China aims to launch the Chang'e-6 probe to collect samples in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon around 2024, said a space expert on Saturday.

One of the candidate missions for the next New Frontiers mission is a sample return from the South Pole-Aitken Basin.  If China is committed to this mission, and it appears that it is, then that might make a proposal to the NASA competition non competitive.

One of the candidate missions for the next New Frontiers mission is a sample return from the South Pole-Aitken Basin

Is that Moonrise again ? Talk about stubborn scientists.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MoonRise

https://www.wired.com/2012/11/lunar-south-pole-aitken-sample-return-2002/

https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999nvm..conf...11D/abstract

They will never, ever give up that mission. And of course they are right: it's a fascinating one.

[otter]

China's lunar probe to carry payloads from European, French space agencies

https://english.news.cn/20230613/b75ad82be37c4c989818086f11ff4a8f/c.html

[vjkane]

There's a new paper out describing the candidate landing sites for the Chang'e-6 mission to collect samples from the lunar South Pole-Aitken basin. This is the same general region that the candidate NF 5 mission would sample, so the Chinese mission might impact whether the NF mission is retained on the list.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-023-02038-1

I believe this is publicly available (my system may be logged into my university account, which allows me to open it if it's not).

Here is the abstract:

Landing site of the Chang’e-6 lunar farside sample return mission from the Apollo basin

To address questions about the multiple lunar nearside–farside dichotomies and to provide new insights into both the early impact history of the Solar System and the geological evolution of the Moon, the Chang’e-6 (CE-6) landing zone has been selected to lie within the lunar farside South Pole–Aitken (SPA) basin in the southern part of the Apollo basin (150–158° W, 41–45° S), a site that provides access to a diversity of SPA material. Here, we describe the geomorphology, geology and chronology of three candidate sampling sites within this zone that are likely to ensure safe landing and sampling. The geological characteristics indicate that CE-6 is expected to collect lunar farside SPA ejecta fragments, possible mantle material and young (roughly 2.40 Gyr-year-old) and/or old (roughly 3.43 Gyr-year-old) basaltic material, all of which will provide important guidance for future in situ farside sample collection and deepen our understanding of the evolution of the Moon.

[otter]

China to launch next lunar probe around 2024

https://english.news.cn/20230929/41e600955c5444b9a5571e246720e842/c.html

BEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- China's next lunar probe Chang'e-6 will be launched around 2024 as planned, with related development tasks currently in progress, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said Friday.

According to the country's lunar exploration program, the Chang'e-6 mission will collect samples from the far side of the moon. It aims to land in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side to explore and collect lunar samples from different regions and ages.

To support the communications between the moon's far side and the Earth, China plans to launch its newly developed relay satellite Queqiao-2, or Magpie Bridge-2, in the first half of 2024, the CNSA said.

It noted that the Chang'e-6 lunar probe will carry payloads from France, Italy, Pakistan and the European Space Agency, which include a negative ion detector and a radon gas detector.

[hextreme]

Nobody posted this? Chang'e-6 probe has arrived at the Wenchang Space Launch Site:
https://www.cnsa.gov.cn/n6759533/c10460820/content.html

[sdsds]

Google Translate version of text on the above-linked page:

On January 8 and 9, 2024, the detector products of the Chang'e-6 mission of the fourth phase of the lunar exploration project arrived at Hainan Meilan International Airport on An-124 and Y-20 aircraft respectively, and were then transported by road to Wenchang Aerospace of China launch site. Subsequent test preparations before launch will be carried out as planned.

The Chang'e-6 mission will break through key technologies such as lunar retrograde orbit design and control, lunar farside intelligent sampling, and lunar farside takeoff and ascent, implement automatic sampling and return on the lunar farside, and at the same time carry out scientific exploration of the landing area and international cooperation.

Picture: Meng Yuan, Cheng Qingchuan, Li Linsong

At present, the launch site facilities are in good condition and all preparations are being carried out in an orderly manner as planned. Chang'e-6 is scheduled to be launched in the first half of this year.

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Nobody posted this? Chang'e-6 probe has arrived at the Wenchang Space Launch Site:
https://www.cnsa.gov.cn/n6759533/c10460820/content.html

This was posted in the launch thread in another section when this happened in early January. We currently usually tracks mission status there until after launch (in May).

[Blackstar]

https://spacenews.com/chinas-change-6-probe-arrives-at-spaceport-for-first-ever-lunar-far-side-sample-mission/

[GELORD]

  patch Chang'e-6

[Blackstar]

https://www.leonarddavid.com/china-moon-relay-satellite-testing-confirms-readiness-for-future-lunar-lander-missions/

[Blackstar]

And awaaaay we go...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/05/02/china-moon-mission/

China launches world-first mission to retrieve samples from far side of moon

The Chang’e 6 mission will advance Beijing’s ambitions to become a space power and scientific force, but its steady progress has caused concern at NASA and in Congress.
By Lyric Li
and
Christian Davenport
Updated May 3, 2024 at 5:38 a.m. EDT|Published May 2, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. EDT

China on Friday embarked on one of its most ambitious space missions yet: the launch of a probe to retrieve samples from the far side of the moon and bring them back to Earth within two months.

If successful, it would be a first, for any country.

Beijing has ambitions to become a space power and scientific force, laying out plans to land Chinese astronauts on the lunar surface by 2030 and set up a base at the moon’s south pole. This has created a new frontier in its broad rivalry with the United States, also including computer chips and solar panels.

China’s methodical steps over the years to extend its reach from Earth orbit to the moon and even Mars have worried NASA — whose own moon program, called Artemis, is facing delays — and members of Congress.

During a NASA budget hearing this week, Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, said that “while the U.S. remains the global leader in space exploration, we face increasing challenges internationally.”

China has already successfully landed unmanned spacecraft on the far side of the moon and brought back samples from the near side, but Friday’s mission will attempt to combine the two.

A Long March 5 rocket topped with an 8.2-ton spacecraft named Chang’e 6 blasted off at 5:27 p.m. Friday local time (5:27 a.m. Eastern time) from the country’s southernmost spaceport, the Wenchang Space Launch Site on the subtropical island of Hainan. In Chinese mythology, Chang’e is a woman who consumed an elixir of life before flying to the moon.

The probe, originally built as a backup for China’s 2020 mission to the moon’s near side, is expected to touch down in the Apollo crater in the larger South Pole-Aitkin basin of the moon.

Chang’e 6’s odyssey will take 53 days, more than twice the time its predecessor took, and bring back about two kilograms (4.4 pounds) of samples from the side of the moon that’s not visible from Earth.

[Blackstar]

https://twitter.com/AJ_FI/status/1786353438806217036

[deadman1204]

Good luck China on Chang'e 6!

[spacexplorer]

Spacecraft separation successful! (initiallly planned for 2024/05/04 21:25 UTC )

https://twitter.com/dfexpress26/status/1787123314911228363

| Time (T+)  | Event                          | UTC                |
|------------|-------------------------------|---------------------|
| T+00:00    | Liftoff                       | 2024/05/03 09:27 UTC|
| T+00:17    | Pitch-over                    | 2024/05/03 09:44 UTC|
| T+02:55    | BECO (Booster Engine Cutoff)  | 2024/05/03 12:22 UTC|
| T+02:56    | Boosters sep (Separation)     | 2024/05/03 12:23 UTC|
| T+05:26    | Fairing sep (Separation)      | 2024/05/03 14:53 UTC|
| T+08:01    | MECO (Main Engine Cutoff)     | 2024/05/03 17:28 UTC|
| T+08:05    | 1st stage sep (Separation)    | 2024/05/03 17:32 UTC|
| T+08:08    | SEI-1                         | 2024/05/03 17:35 UTC|
| T+12:15    | SECO-1 (Second Engine Cutoff) | 2024/05/03 21:42 UTC|
| T+28:45    | SEI-2                         | 2024/05/04 14:12 UTC|
| T+35:33    | SECO-2 (Second Engine Cutoff) | 2024/05/04 20:00 UTC|
| T+35:48    | Terminal Guidance ends        | 2024/05/04 20:15 UTC|
| T+36:58    | Spacecraft sep (Separation)   | 2024/05/04 21:25 UTC| <<<<<<
| T+3d       | LOI (Lunar Orbit Insertion)   | 2024/05/07 00:00 UTC|
| T+29d      | Lander separation from orbiter| 2024/06/01 00:00 UTC|
| T+30d      | Landing at Apollo Basin       | 2024/06/02 00:00 UTC|
| T+32d      | Launch of ascent stage        | 2024/06/04 00:00 UTC|
| T+34d      | Ascent stage docking w.orbiter| 2024/06/06 00:00 UTC|
| T+48d      | TEI (Trans-Earth Injection)   | 2024/06/20 00:00 UTC|
| T+53d      | Landing on Earth              | 2024/06/25 00:00 UTC|