China’s Chang’e-6 Mission Achieves Historic Milestone

China’s Chang’e-6 probe successfully transferred samples it collected from the moon’s far side to a spacecraft in lunar orbit on Thursday, state news agency Xinhua reported.

After receiving the samples, the uncrewed spacecraft will fly back to Earth, with an expected landing in China’s Inner Mongolia region on June 25. If successful, China will be the first country ever to return lunar matter from the side of the moon, which always faces away from Earth.

Sampling and Return Mission:

The Chang’e-6 probe took off from the moon’s far side on Tuesday after spending two days on the surface digging up samples.

Xinhua reported that while on the moon, the probe unfurled a Chinese flag made of basalt, an abundant material on the lunar surface.

National Pride and Public Interest:

The mission has been a source of national pride in China. The probe’s launch in May drew thousands of tourists to the southern island province of Hainan, and its every subsequent move, from landing on the moon’s far side to the return journey to Earth, has gone viral on Chinese social media.

Scientific and Strategic Significance:

The precious samples’ successful transfer on Thursday, which scientists hope can reveal more about the solar system’s origins, comes as the United States expresses growing concerns about the advances in China’s lunar and space exploration programs.

U.S. space agency NASA chief Bill Nelson congratulated China but urged it to be more open about its space activities.

U.S. and China in a Space Race:

Nelson has repeatedly warned that the United States is in a “space race” with China to return to the moon and that China would claim any water resources it found there as its own.

In response to Nelson’s comments, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Thursday that the Chang’e-6 probe’s successful sampling and departure from the moon’s far side represented historic steps for “mankind’s peaceful use of outer space” and noted that many countries praised the mission.

Diplomatic Tensions and the Wolf Amendment:

Mao also criticized the Wolf Amendment, a law passed by the U.S. Congress in 2011 that banned NASA from collaboration with “China or any Chinese-owned firm unless such activities are specifically authorized.” Mao stated, “Current China-U.S. space cooperation faces some problems and difficulties.

The root cause is that U.S. domestic laws such as the Wolf Amendment have hindered normal exchanges and dialogues between the two countries’ space agencies.”