Chinese rocket with 'undisclosed payload' banged into Moon to create wide craters, scientists say
China's Chang'e-6 mission was a robotic expedition to the moon
The mystery behind the moon crash on March 4, 2022, which left a double crater of about 29-metre width on the moon's far side, has now effectively come to an end. A team of astronomers from the University of Arizona identified it as the third and uppermost stage of China's Long March 3C rocket which had launched the Chang'e 5-T1 mission in October 2014.
Additionally, it has been revealed that the rocket was also carrying some "undisclosed, additional payload", according to the paper published in the peer-reviewed Planetary Science.
The first study was led by Tanner Campbell from the University of Arizona's Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, did trajectory and spectroscopic analysis based on ground-based telescope observations.
Campbell and his team confirmed in a study published in the Planetary Science Journal that WE0913A was indeed the Long March 3C rocket body from the Chang'e 5-T1 mission.
Chinese officials contest the findings
Despite scientific confirmation, Chinese officials have contested the findings, and have claimed that the Long March 3C's upper stage burned up in Earth's atmosphere after the Chang'e 5-T1 launch.
However, the USSpace Command has stood by the University of Arizona's claim, stating that the object never re-entered Earth's atmosphere.
What do we know about that 29-metre-wide moon crater?
The study also delves into the distinctive crater resulting from the moon crash.
Researchers compared the light curve of the Chinese rocket with thousands of simulated space objects and revealed specific characteristics.
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The object's stable tumbling behaviour suggests a dumbbell-like structure, possibly attributed to the considerable mass at each end, such as the upper stage's two engines.
Campbell noted the unprecedented occurrence of a double crater, emphasizing the need for two roughly equal masses apart from each other. The mystery surrounding the additional mass remains, with speculations about its nature and purpose. Campbell concluded, "We probably won't ever know."