On May 3rd last year, China launched its Chang'e Luna 6 probe. On June 25th of 2024, its returner landed in North China, bringing back nearly 2 kg of samples from the far side of the moon. This report is about what those samples tell us. Watch in for more details!

China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe brings samples; findings offer insights into early evolution

China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe has successfully lifted off from Moon. The probe, as per an announcement from China's national space agency on Tuesday (June 4), is on its journey back to Earth after taking off from the far side of the moon, an area permanently hidden from our view.

<h2>Historic achievement</h2>

With this historic feat — launching from the moon's unexplored side — China is on the verge of being the first country to bring back samples from a part of the moon no other country has touched.&nbsp;

The probe, as per a Reuters report, left the moon's surface at 7:38 am local time (2338 GMT), after gathering samples over two days - June 2 and 3.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/boeing-nasa-target-june-5-for-starliners-debut-crew-flight-728166">Boeing, NASA target June 5 for Starliner's debut crew flight</a>

According to the China National Space Administration (CNSA), the Chang'e-6 managed to endure high temperatures during its mission on the far side of the moon.

Chang'e-6 "withstood the test of high temperature on the far side of the moon," said the space agency.

<h2>Remarkable mission</h2>

Unlike the previous Chang'e-5 mission, which collected samples from the moon's near side, Chang'e-6 operated under additional technical challenges — the probe had to operate without direct links to Earth.&nbsp;

Instead, it communicated through the Queqiao-2 satellite, launched in April to aid this mission.

Using a drill and a robotic arm, the Chang'e-6 probe collected soil from the moon's surface and just below it, as per reports from Xinhua, the state news agency.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/chinas-secret-spaceplane-ejects-mysterious-object-into-earths-orbit-us-hunts-it-down-726732">China’s secret spaceplane ejects mysterious object into Earth’s orbit. US hunts it down</a>

During its mission, Chang'e-6 also planted China's national flag on the moon's far side for the first time, reported Beijing Daily.

The probe is now orbiting the moon and will soon connect with another spacecraft in orbit, said the CNSA. From there, the moon soil samples will be moved to a return module, and travel back to Earth.&nbsp;

As per reports, the landing is expected to happen in China's Inner Mongolia region around June 25.

(With inputs from agencies)

China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe has successfully lifted off from Moon. The probe, as per an announcement from China's national space agency on Tuesday (June 4), is on its journey back to Earth after taking off from the far side of the moon, an area permanently hidden from our view.

China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe has successfully lifted off from Moon. The probe, as per an announcement from China's national space agency on Tuesday (June 4), is on its journey back to Earth after taking off from the far side of the moon, an area permanently hidden from our view. Historic achievement With this historic feat — launching from the moon's unexplored side — China is on the verge of being the first country to bring back samples from a part of the moon no other country has touched. The probe, as per a Reuters report, left the moon's surface at 7:38 am local time (2338 GMT), after gathering samples over two days - June 2 and 3. Also read | Boeing, NASA target June 5 for Starliner's debut crew flight According to the China National Space Administration (CNSA), the Chang'e-6 managed to endure high temperatures during its mission on the far side of the moon. Chang'e-6 "withstood the test of high temperature on the far side of the moon," said the space agency. Remarkable mission Unlike the previous Chang'e-5 mission, which collected samples from the moon's near side, Chang'e-6 operated under additional technical challenges — the probe had to operate without direct links to Earth. Instead, it communicated through the Queqiao-2 satellite, launched in April to aid this mission. Using a drill and a robotic arm, the Chang'e-6 probe collected soil from the moon's surface and just below it, as per reports from Xinhua, the state news agency. Also read | China’s secret spaceplane ejects mysterious object into Earth’s orbit. US hunts it down During its mission, Chang'e-6 also planted China's national flag on the moon's far side for the first time, reported Beijing Daily. The probe is now orbiting the moon and will soon connect with another spacecraft in orbit, said the CNSA. From there, the moon soil samples will be moved to a return module, and travel back to Earth. As per reports, the landing is expected to happen in China's Inner Mongolia region around June 25. (With inputs from agencies)

China's Chang'e-6 probe makes history, begins return journey to Earth with samples from Moon's dark side

Japan's Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) entered the Moon's orbit on Christmas Day. This has taken Japan close to its first successful landing on Earth's only satellite. If Japan succeeds, it will be fifth country in the world to land a probe on the lunar surface. Till date, United States, Russia, China and India have been successful in such an attempt.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said on Monday that SLIM "successfully entered the moon's orbit at 04:51 pm Japan time" (0751 GMT)"

Watch | Japan's moon lander 'Slim' enters Lunar orbit | Japan a step closer to becoming 5th nation on moon

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/japans-moon-lander-slim-enters-lunar-orbit-japan-a-step-closer-to-becoming-5th-nation-on-moon-674009/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

"Its trajectory shift was achieved as originally planned, and there is nothing out of the ordinary about the probe's conditions," the agency said.

<h2>What next for Japan's Moon mission?</h2>

The lander, which has now been inserted in the lunar orbit, is slated to begin on January 20, at around 12 am Japan time. JAXA has said that the lander will land 20 minutes later.

JAXA's Moon lander was lifted-off into space by an H-IIA rocket. The lift-off took place in the month of September from southern Japanese island of Tanegashima. The lift-off took place after three postponements due weather-related reasons.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/sex-and-pregnancy-in-space-might-not-be-possible-with-existing-technologies-say-experts-673973">Sex in space? It might still be a distant possibility, and so is pregnancy</a>

Earlier this month, JAXA said that the mission will be an "unprecedentedly high precision landing" on the Moon. Interestingly, the lander has a spherical probe that was developed in association with a toy company. The probe is slightly bigger than a tennis ball. It is capable of changing its shape in order to move on the lunar surface.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-begins-mission-to-detect-god-of-chaos-asteroid-before-it-hits-earths-orbit-673950">NASA trying to intercept 'God of Chaos' asteroid which will come terrifyingly close to Earth in 2029</a>

At the time of landing, JAXA is aiming for margin of error of under 100 metres. This when compared to error margins of "a few or 10-plus kilometres" kept by other countries is quite remarkable. JAXA has said that its margin of error was once thought impossible and is culmination of decades of effort by researchers.

"Gone are the days when merely exploring 'somewhere on the moon' was desired," said Shinichiro Sakai, JAXA's SLIM project manager earlier this month.

(With inputs from agencies)

Japan's Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) entered the Moon's orbit on Christmas Day. This has taken Japan close to its first successful landing on Earth's only satellite.

Japan's Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) entered the Moon's orbit on Christmas Day. This has taken Japan close to its first successful landing on Earth's only satellite. If Japan succeeds, it will be fifth country in the world to land a probe on the lunar surface. Till date, United States, Russia, China and India have been successful in such an attempt. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said on Monday that SLIM "successfully entered the moon's orbit at 04:51 pm Japan time" (0751 GMT)" Watch | Japan's moon lander 'Slim' enters Lunar orbit | Japan a step closer to becoming 5th nation on moon × "Its trajectory shift was achieved as originally planned, and there is nothing out of the ordinary about the probe's conditions," the agency said. What next for Japan's Moon mission? The lander, which has now been inserted in the lunar orbit, is slated to begin on January 20, at around 12 am Japan time. JAXA has said that the lander will land 20 minutes later. JAXA's Moon lander was lifted-off into space by an H-IIA rocket. The lift-off took place in the month of September from southern Japanese island of Tanegashima. The lift-off took place after three postponements due weather-related reasons. Also Read | Sex in space? It might still be a distant possibility, and so is pregnancy Earlier this month, JAXA said that the mission will be an "unprecedentedly high precision landing" on the Moon. Interestingly, the lander has a spherical probe that was developed in association with a toy company. The probe is slightly bigger than a tennis ball. It is capable of changing its shape in order to move on the lunar surface. Also Read | NASA trying to intercept 'God of Chaos' asteroid which will come terrifyingly close to Earth in 2029 At the time of landing, JAXA is aiming for margin of error of under 100 metres. This when compared to error margins of "a few or 10-plus kilometres" kept by other countries is quite remarkable. JAXA has said that its margin of error was once thought impossible and is culmination of decades of effort by researchers. "Gone are the days when merely exploring 'somewhere on the moon' was desired," said Shinichiro Sakai, JAXA's SLIM project manager earlier this month. (With inputs from agencies)

Japan's probe enters lunar orbit, what happens now?

Nearly two weeks after Russia's Luna-25 lunar probe crashed into the Moon, US space agency NASA has released an image that shows the likely final resting place of the mission.

Nearly two weeks after Russia's Luna-25 lunar probe crashed into the Moon, US space agency NASA has released an image that shows the likely final resting place of the mission. NASA released a statement on Thursday (August 31) saying its sharp-eyed Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) had likely found the crash site last week. Using the estimated impact site data provided by Russia's space agency Roscosmos, NASA said LRO's handlers went looking for Luna-25's grave. Using the probe's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC), the team managed to image the suspected crash site on August 24. After comparing the new image with a previous photo of the same region captured by LROC in June 2022, the team was able to make the discovery. Also read | Luna-25 crashes into moon; Russia’s lunar mission ends The before and after photos showed a bright, fresh crater on the moon that had developed in the past 14 months. "Since this new crater is close to the Luna-25 estimated impact point, the LRO team concludes it is likely to be from that mission, rather than a natural impactor," NASA said in a statement. According to the agency, the new crater is about 10 metres in diameter and is located at 57.865 degrees south latitude and 61.360 degrees east longitude at an elevation of about minus 360 meters. Notably, LRO is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland since being launched in June 2009. Watch | Luna 25: Russian lunar mission comes to an end: Spacecraft moved to an unpredictable orbit × What happened to Luna-25? Luna-25, the first Russian Moon mission in nearly 50 years, crashed into the lunar surface after it spun into an uncontrolled orbit. According to Roscosmos, a day prior to the crash, the probe reported an "emergency" while performing a routine manoeuvre. "During the operation, an emergency situation occurred on board the automatic station, which did not allow the manoeuvre to be performed with the specified parameters," Roscosmos stated. The lunar probe was expected to remain on the lunar surface for an entire year to perform critical scientific tasks of collecting samples and conducting soil analysis. The lander had as many as eight different science instruments on it. Luna-25 was launched on August 10 from the Vostochny Cosmodrome, in Russia's Far East region and reached the lunar orbit six days later. The probe was due to touch down near the lunar South Pole on August 20. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Final resting place of Russia's Luna-25 lunar probe likely spotted. See photos

1.97 billion years ago, lava was still flowing on the Moon's surface, and now there is proof in the form of rocks.

According to a report published in 'Science', an international team of planetary scientists and researchers from China, Australia, Sweden and the United States has arrived at this discovery.&nbsp;In order to reach this conclusion, they studied samples collected by the Chinese National Space Agency during the Chang'e-5 mission.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/samples-brought-from-chinas-moon-trip-indicate-recent-volcanic-activity-419043">Samples brought from China's moon trip indicate recent volcanic activity</a>

Chang'e-5 was an unmanned mission consisting of a robotic lander that landed on the near side of the moon (the side facing Earth) in December 2020.

One of the mission goals of Chang'e-5 was to look for evidence of the moon's youngest volcanic eruptions.

1.7 kilograms of lunar rocks were returned to Earth, the first samples from the Moon collected since 1976 with the Soviet Union's Luna 24 mission.

The number of impact craters on the lunar surface has previously been used to predict the age of volcanic rocks on the Moon, but it is impossible to confirm without samples to examine.

At the Shrimp centre in Beijing, China, the samples were analyzed using a sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe instrument. Following analysis,&nbsp;scientists determined that these lava eruptions are 1.97 billion years old, which is a billion years younger than previously dated lava from the Moon.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/mars-moon-or-potato-nasa-shares-image-of-phobos-the-largest-of-mars-two-raggedy-moons-397964">Mars' moon or potato? NASA shares image of ‘Phobos’, the largest of Mars' two raggedy moons</a>

This has presented a new scientific mystery.

Volcanic eruptions are caused by molten material generated by heat inside a planet.&nbsp;For a moon-sized planet, the heat would have been dissipated long before these eruptions 2 billion years ago.

The question that arises is how a small planetary body like the Moon, which was formed 4.5 billion years ago, could have retained enough interior heat to continue producing volcanic eruptions 2.5 billion years after it was formed.

During the Moon's geological history, the surface of the Moon experienced many volcanic eruptions that formed large sheets of basaltic rock known as the lunar mare. They appear as dark patches on a lunar surface.

However, most of the volcanic activity took place between 3 billion and 4 billion years ago. Based on the age of rock samples from the Apollo and Luna missions, as well as meteorites originating from the Moon, scientists have confirmed this.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-asteroid-moon-crash-spacecraft-earth-418527">NASA to crash spacecraft into asteroid's moon to save Earth</a>

So, what is&nbsp;going on?&nbsp;Scientists have a few theories

Although scientists have previously proposed that the high concentration of radioactive elements found inside the lunar interior may have contributed to the melting of rocky stone, the composition of these samples indicates this was not the cause of the melt.

Tidal heating could also have played a role, in which heat is generated in the Moon's interior due to the stretching and squeezing caused by the gravitational interaction between the Moon, Sun and Earth.

Another possibility is that the composition of the mantle of the Moon contributed to a lower melting temperature, explaining how molten material formed.

1.97 billion years ago, lava was still flowing on the Moon's surface, and now there is proof in the form of rocks. According to a report published in 'Science', an international team of planetary scientists and researchers from China, Australia, Sweden and the United States has arrived at this discovery.

1.97 billion years ago, lava was still flowing on the Moon's surface, and now there is proof in the form of rocks. According to a report published in 'Science', an international team of planetary scientists and researchers from China, Australia, Sweden and the United States has arrived at this discovery. In order to reach this conclusion, they studied samples collected by the Chinese National Space Agency during the Chang'e-5 mission. Also read | Samples brought from China's moon trip indicate recent volcanic activity Chang'e-5 was an unmanned mission consisting of a robotic lander that landed on the near side of the moon (the side facing Earth) in December 2020. One of the mission goals of Chang'e-5 was to look for evidence of the moon's youngest volcanic eruptions. 1.7 kilograms of lunar rocks were returned to Earth, the first samples from the Moon collected since 1976 with the Soviet Union's Luna 24 mission. The number of impact craters on the lunar surface has previously been used to predict the age of volcanic rocks on the Moon, but it is impossible to confirm without samples to examine. At the Shrimp centre in Beijing, China, the samples were analyzed using a sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe instrument. Following analysis, scientists determined that these lava eruptions are 1.97 billion years old, which is a billion years younger than previously dated lava from the Moon. Also read | Mars' moon or potato? NASA shares image of ‘Phobos’, the largest of Mars' two raggedy moons This has presented a new scientific mystery. Volcanic eruptions are caused by molten material generated by heat inside a planet. For a moon-sized planet, the heat would have been dissipated long before these eruptions 2 billion years ago. The question that arises is how a small planetary body like the Moon, which was formed 4.5 billion years ago, could have retained enough interior heat to continue producing volcanic eruptions 2.5 billion years after it was formed. During the Moon's geological history, the surface of the Moon experienced many volcanic eruptions that formed large sheets of basaltic rock known as the lunar mare. They appear as dark patches on a lunar surface. However, most of the volcanic activity took place between 3 billion and 4 billion years ago. Based on the age of rock samples from the Apollo and Luna missions, as well as meteorites originating from the Moon, scientists have confirmed this. Also read | NASA to crash spacecraft into asteroid's moon to save Earth So, what is going on? Scientists have a few theories Although scientists have previously proposed that the high concentration of radioactive elements found inside the lunar interior may have contributed to the melting of rocky stone, the composition of these samples indicates this was not the cause of the melt. Tidal heating could also have played a role, in which heat is generated in the Moon's interior due to the stretching and squeezing caused by the gravitational interaction between the Moon, Sun and Earth. Another possibility is that the composition of the mantle of the Moon contributed to a lower melting temperature, explaining how molten material formed.

What is the significance of Chang'e-5 less than 2 billion years old lunar samples?

lunar-probe

Lunar Probe, News on Lunar Probe, stories on Lunar Probe, articles on Lunar Probe, Lunar Probe stories at Wion, Lunar Probe news, Lunar Probe latest news