BEIJING: On Thursday, state news agency Xinhua reported that China’s Chang’e-6 probe sent samples it had obtained from the moon’s far side to a spacecraft in lunar orbit.
The unmanned spacecraft will return to Earth after collecting the samples, and on June 25 it is scheduled to land in the Inner Mongolia region of China. China will be the first nation to return lunar materials from the side of the moon that faces Earth permanently if its efforts are successful.
After spending two days on the moon’s surface gathering samples, the Chang’e-6 probe launched from the moon’s far side on Tuesday. During its mission, the spacecraft unfolded a Chinese flag composed of basalt, a common substance found on the moon.
The United States is getting increasingly concerned about China’s advancements in its space and lunar research programs, which coincides with the successful transfer of the priceless samples on Thursday. Scientists believe these samples can provide additional insight into the solar system’s origins.
When questioned on Wednesday over the Chang’e-6 mission, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson commended China but urged it to be more transparent about its space endeavors. Nelson has issued numerous warnings that China is vying with the United States in a “space race” to return to the moon and that China will appropriate any water resources discovered there.
In response to Nelson’s remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated on Thursday that numerous nations had applauded the Chang’e-6 probe for its successful sampling on the moon’s far side and departure, which represented historic steps for “mankind’s peaceful use of outer space.”
The Wolf Amendment, a 2011 US Congress rule prohibiting NASA from working with “China or any Chinese-owned company unless such activities are specifically authorized,” was criticized by Mao.
