Tag: Lunar samples

#CNSA #ChinaNationalSpaceAdministration #国家航天局 |#BRI #June2024 | #嫦娥六号#Change6 South Pole-Aitken successfully Basin #LunarSampleReturnMission #DarksideOfTheMoon Chang’e 6  #ChineseFlag #ChinaFlag #PeoplesRepublicOfChina will #NeverFade Wuhan Textile University  China Aerospace Sanjiang Group…

kevinjamesngLeave a comment

At 17:27 on May 3rd Friday 2024  Beijing time CNSA –China National Space Administration, the Chang’e-6 probe was successfully launched by the Long March 5 Yao-8 carrier rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan Province,  China, People’s Republic of China., and accurately entered the Earth-moon transfer orbit. The launch mission was a complete success. The Chang’e-6 probe has embarked on the world’s first return journey for sampling from the far side of the moon. The pre-selected landing and sampling area is the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon.

[ Chang’e 6 completes sampling and ascender takes off from the far side of the moon and enters the scheduled lunar orbit]

According to the National Space Administration, at  4th June 2024 7:38 Beijing time today, the Chang’e 6 ascender carrying lunar samples took off from the far side of the moon. After the 3000N engine worked for about 6 minutes, it successfully sent the ascender into the scheduled lunar orbit. From



June 2 to 3, Chang’e 6 successfully completed intelligent and rapid sampling in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon, and packaged the precious lunar far side samples in the storage device carried by the ascender in a predetermined form. During the sampling and packaging process, researchers simulated the geographical model of the sampling area and simulated sampling in the ground laboratory based on the probe data transmitted back by the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, providing important support for sampling decisions and operations in various links.

The Chang’e-6 lunar flag display system was jointly developed by China Aerospace Sanjiang Group and Wuhan Textile University and other units. In response to the extreme environmental requirements of high and low temperature alternation, high vacuum and strong ultraviolet radiation in this mission, the lunar flag team of Academician Xu Weilin of the State Key Laboratory of New Textile Materials and Advanced Processing Technology of Wuhan Textile University..



selected basalt materials. Basalt fiber is a new type of inorganic environmentally friendly green high-performance fiber material. It is composed of oxides such as silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, iron oxide and titanium dioxide. China has listed basalt fiber as one of the four major fibers (carbon fiber, aramid, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, basalt fiber) for key development, and has achieved industrial production. Using natural basalt formed by volcanic eruptions as raw materials, it is crushed and put into a melting furnace, heated to a molten state of 1450~1500℃, and quickly drawn through a platinum-rhodium alloy drawing plate. This is how basalt fiber is made. When basalt fiber is manufactured, it has excellent high temperature resistance and thermal shock stability, and can remain unchanged at a temperature of 650°C. It also has durability, weather resistance, UV resistance, water resistance, and oxidation resistance comparable to natural basalt stone. 嫦娥六号…..

Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned SpaceCNSA-China National Space Administration

#CNSA #ChinaNationalSpaceAdministration #国家航天局 |#BRI #June2024 | #嫦娥六号#Change6 South Pole-Aitken successfully Basin #LunarSampleReturnMission #DarksideOfTheMoon Chang’e 6 completes sampling and ascender takes off from the far side of the moon and enters the scheduled lunar orbit …

kevinjamesngLeave a comment

At 17:27 on May 3rd Friday 2024  Beijing time CNSA –China National Space Administration, the Chang’e-6 probe was successfully launched by the Long March 5 Yao-8 carrier rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan Province,  China, People’s Republic of China., and accurately entered the Earth-moon transfer orbit. The launch mission was a complete success. The Chang’e-6 probe has embarked on the world’s first return journey for sampling from the far side of the moon. The pre-selected landing and sampling area is the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon.

[ Chang’e 6 completes sampling and ascender takes off from the far side of the moon and enters the scheduled lunar orbit]

According to the National Space Administration, at 7:38 today, the Chang’e 6 ascender carrying lunar samples took off from the far side of the moon. After the 3000N engine worked for about 6 minutes, it successfully sent the ascender into the scheduled lunar orbit.

From June 2 to 3, Chang’e 6 successfully completed intelligent and rapid sampling in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon, and packaged the precious lunar far side samples in the storage device carried by the ascender in a predetermined form. During the sampling and packaging process, researchers simulated the geographical model of the sampling area and simulated sampling in the ground laboratory based on the probe data transmitted back by the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, providing important support for sampling decisions and operations in various links.

Intelligent sampling is one of the core key links of the Chang’e 6 mission. The probe withstood the high temperature test on the far side of the moon, and collected lunar samples by drilling with a drill and taking samples from the surface with a robotic arm, realizing multi-point and diversified automatic sampling.

嫦娥六号 The lander and ascender took a group photo] On June 3, 2024, the “mobile camera” carried by Chang’e 6 moved autonomously and successfully took and sent back a group photo of the lander and ascender

The Chang’e-6 lander was equipped with a landing camera, panoramic camera, lunar soil structure detector, lunar mineral spectrometer and other payloads that were powered on normally and carried out scientific exploration as planned, playing an important role in scientific exploration tasks such as lunar surface morphology and mineral composition detection and research, lunar shallow structure detection, etc. Before the probe drilled and sampled, the lunar soil structure detector analyzed and judged the underground lunar soil structure in the sampling area, providing data reference for sampling. The international payloads

carried by the Chang’e-6 lander, such as the European Space Agency’s lunar surface negative ion analyzer and the French lunar radon gas detector, worked normally and carried out corresponding scientific exploration tasks. Among them, the French lunar radon gas detector was powered on during the Earth-Moon transfer, lunar orbit phase and lunar surface working phase; the European Space Agency’s lunar surface negative ion analyzer was powered on during the lunar surface working phase. The Italian laser corner reflector installed on the top of the lander became a position control point that can be used for distance measurement on the back side of the moon.

After the surface sampling was completed, the five-star red flag carried by the Chang’e-6 lander was successfully unfolded on the back side of the moon. This is the first time that China has independently and dynamically displayed its national flag on the back side of the moon. The national flag is made of new composite materials and special technology. Due to the different landing position on the moon, the Chang’e 6 national flag display system has been adaptively improved on the basis of the Chang’e 5 mission.

Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned SpaceCNSA-China National Space Administration

#CNSA #ChinaNationalSpaceAdministration #国家航天局 |#WenchangSpacecraftLaunchCenter #文昌航天發射場 #BRI #June2024 | #嫦娥六号#Change6 South Pole-Aitken successfully landed Basin #LunarSampleReturnMission #DarksideOfTheMoon …

kevinjamesngLeave a comment

At 17:27 on May 3rd Friday 2024  Beijing time CNSA –China National Space Administration, the Chang’e-6 probe was successfully launched by the Long March 5 Yao-8 carrier rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan Province,  China, People’s Republic of China., and accurately entered the Earth-moon transfer orbit. The launch mission was a complete success. The Chang’e-6 probe has embarked on the world’s first return journey for sampling from the far side of the moon. The pre-selected landing and sampling area is the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon.

[Chang’e-6 successfully landed in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon] According to the National Space Administration, at 06:23:15:861

Beijing time today, the Chang’e-6 lander and ascender combination, supported by the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, successfully landed in the pre-selected landing area of ​​the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon. At 6:09 on June 2, the Chang’e-6 lander and ascender combination began to implement power descent, and the 7500 Newton variable thrust main engine was turned on. During this period, the combination made rapid attitude adjustments and gradually approached the lunar surface. After that, obstacles were automatically detected through the visual autonomous obstacle avoidance system, and a visible light camera was used to select a rough safe point based on the brightness of the lunar surface. It hovered 100 meters above the safe point, and laser three-dimensional scanning was used to take precise photos to detect obstacles on the lunar surface. Finally, the landing point was selected and a slow vertical descent began. When it was about to reach the lunar surface, the engine was shut down, and the buffer system was used to ensure that the combination reached the lunar surface in a free fall manner, and finally landed smoothly in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon.

According to the China Academy of Space Technology, Chang’e-6 is one of the most complex spacecraft systems developed by China so far. The propulsion subsystem developed by the Sixth Academy provides it with the orbiter propulsion subsystem, lander propulsion subsystem and ascender propulsion subsystem. They are composed of 3 orbit control engines, 74 attitude control engines and more than 200 supporting single units such as tanks, gas cylinders, valves, circuit boxes, pressure sensors, etc. Among them, 1 7500N variable thrust engine is used for a smooth soft landing on the moon, and 2 3000N engines are used for the probe’s near-moon braking “in-orbit braking” and lunar takeoff. With their help, the Chang’e-6 probe can complete a series of “difficult actions” in space on its own .

The payload carried by the Chang’e-6 lander will work as planned and carry out scientific exploration missions. The international payloads of the Chang’e-6 mission, the European Space Agency’s lunar surface negative ion analyzer and the French lunar radon detector, are about to start working, and the Italian laser corner reflector has been deployed.

Since the Chang’e-6 probe was launched into orbit on May 3, 2024, it has successively experienced the processes of earth-moon transfer, near-moon braking, circumlunar flight, landing and descent. The Chang’e-6 probe consists of an orbiter, a returner, a lander and an ascender. On May 30, the lander and ascender combination and the orbiter and returner combination were separated in orbit. After the lander and ascender combination lands successfully, the lander will conduct status checks and settings such as the deployment of solar panels and directional antennas under ground control via the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, and then officially begin sampling work on the far side of the moon, which will last about two days. The lunar soil samples and lunar surface rocks will be collected by drilling with a drill and by using a robotic arm to achieve multi-point and diversified automatic sampling. At the same time, scientific explorations such as on-site investigation and analysis of the landing area on the far side of the moon and analysis of the lunar soil structure will be carried out to deepen the research on the origin and evolution history of the moon.

Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned SpaceCNSA-China National Space Administration

#CNSA #ChinaNationalSpaceAdministration #国家航天局 |#WenchangSpacecraftLaunchCenter #文昌航天發射場 #BRI #May2024 | #ChangZheng5  #LongMarch5 Yao 8 3rd May launch readiness for #嫦娥六号#Change6 #LunarLander #LunarProbe South Pole-Aitken Basin  #LunarSampleReturnMission #DarksideOfTheMoon …. #ASummary

kevinjamesngLeave a comment

On the 15 March 2024 Hour Hong- Kong SAR – Beijing time CNSA –China National Space Administration   ….. the “Chang Zheng -Long March 5” Yao-8 carrier rocket which will carry out the Chang’e-6 mission of the fourth phase of the lunar exploration project, safely arrived at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China. Subsequently, the rocket will be assembled and tested at the launch site together with the Chang’e-6 probe that arrived in advance. Currently, all participating systems in the launch site area are preparing for the Chang’e-6 mission as planned…..

“Chang Zheng -Long March 5” Yao-8 carrier rocket which will carry out the fourth phase of the lunar exploration project嫦娥六号was safely transported to the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China. Subsequently, the rocket will be assembled and tested at the launch site together with the Chang’e-6 probe that arrived in advance. Currently, all participating systems in the launch site area….

[Chang’e-6 completed the last inter-system full-area joint training before launch and plans to launch on May 3]

 News from the National Space Administration, the Chang’e-6 lunar exploration mission organized a pre-launch full-area joint training on the morning of May 1 During the training, the Wenchang Space Launch Site, Beijing Flight Control Center, Xi’an Satellite Measurement and Control Center, Yuanwang measurement fleet and various measurement and control stations of the mission have implemented joint debugging and joint control. Currently, all systems have completed pre-launch preparations. After comprehensive research and decision-making by the Engineering Mission Command, the Chang’e-6 mission of the fourth phase of the lunar exploration project is scheduled to be launched on May 3.



During the joint training, each system participating in the test was tightly organized and cooperated closely to ensure that all procedures were carried out in an orderly manner. Since this mission lasted a long time and the various mission nodes were closely connected, the Wenchang Space Launch Site conducted a lot of detailed and thoughtful work in the mission preparation stage.

This is the last inter-system-wide joint training before the launch of Chang’e-6. It mainly tests various tasks during the launch phase of the Long March-5 carrier rocket and Chang’e-6 rocket assembly into orbit.



At present, at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China, preparations for the mission are progressing steadily, and the Long March 5 Yao-8 launch vehicle for this launch is about to be filled with propellant. This is the second launch mission of the Long March 5 carrier rocket for lunar exploration. It will transport the Chang’e-6 probe to the Earth-Moon Transfer Orbit to implement a sample return mission from the far side of the moon.

The launch window refers to the time frame suitable for rocket launch. For this mission, based on comprehensive consideration of factors such as the position of the Earth and the Moon, the engineering team applied the “narrow window multi-orbit” launch technology to design a total of 10 lunar orbits for the rocket within a 50-minute window for two consecutive days.

Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned SpaceCNSA-China National Space Administration

#CNSA #ChinaNationalSpaceAdministration #国家航天局 |#BRI #October2022 | #嫦娥五号#CLEP the #Moon #Change5 #MonsRumker lunar soil reveals a great mystery…!

kevinjamesngLeave a comment

More than One year ago on 24th November 2020, the Chang Zheng – Long March Five Carrier Rocket Launched away  in CNSA – China National Space Administration China Wenchang spaceport launch, Change Five  Lunar probe into orbit, opened up towards China – People’s Republic of China’s first celestial bodies sample return trip from Mons Rumker on the Lunar Surface of the moon New research achievements – Chinese scientists reveal the composition of lunar soil minerals and space wind at the landing site of Chang’e 5

On the week of 17th October 2022, The Returning lunar soil samples Chang’e 5 Mons Rumker lunar soil reveals a great mystery!…… Why the moon still has volcanic activity 2 billion years ago Chang’e 5 lunar soil, revealing a big mystery!  Chinese scientists have proposed a new model of lunar thermal evolution based on the study of the Chang’e-5 lunar soil, revealing a mystery that has plagued the academic world: why the moon still had volcanic activity 2 billion years ago.

This is a schematic diagram of the magma and thermal evolution of the moon in different periods (drawn on October 20, 2022). Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Chinese scientists have proposed a new model of lunar thermal evolution based on the study of the Chang’e 5 lunar soil, revealing a mystery that has plagued academia: why the moon still had volcanic activity 2 billion years ago.

According to Chen Yi, a researcher at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the moon was formed about 4.5 billion years ago, and its mass is only about 1% of that of the earth. For such a small celestial body, in theory, it should cool rapidly and stop volcanoes very early. Activity and become a “dead” planet.
The return of Chang’e-5 lunar soil samples has triggered a new round of lunar research upsurge. In October 2021, Chinese scientists published three articles in the journal “Nature”, revealing that lunar volcanic activity could last until 2 billion years ago, refreshing human understanding of the history of lunar magma activity and thermal evolution.
According to experts, lunar basalt is a rock formed by the partial melting of the lunar mantle (equivalent to the earth’s mantle) through volcanic eruptions to the lunar surface to cool and crystallize. International scholars have put forward two hypotheses about the partial melting of the continuously cooling lunar mantle: one is that the heat generated by radioactive elements causes the lunar mantle to heat up; the other hypothesis is that if the water content is high, the melting point of the lunar mantle will be lowered.
However, Chinese scientists’ research on the Chang’e-5 basalt revealed that the lunar mantle source region is not rich in radioactive heat-generating elements and is very “dry”, ruling out the above two hypotheses. Therefore, why the lunar volcanism has continued for so long has become an unsolved mystery in a new round of lunar research.

Yuan Jiangyan, an engineer at the Scanning Electron Microscopy and Electron Probe Laboratory of the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, analyzes the composition of the Chang’e-5 lunar soil (photo taken on October 14, 2022). Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

In response to this problem, Chen Yi led the scientific research team to select 27 representative Chang’e 5 basalt cuttings, and used the newly developed scanning electron microscope energy spectrum quantitative scanning technology to analyze the main components of the whole rock cuttings, combined with a series of The petrological and thermodynamic simulation calculations have successfully recovered the initial magma composition of the Chang’e-5 basalt, and compared it with the initial magma of the Apollo samples to deduce their origin depth and temperature.
The study found that the initial magma of the young Chang’e-5 basalt contained more calcium and titanium than the Apollo samples, suggesting that the mantle source region of the Chang’e-5 basalt had more additions of calcium-rich and titanium-rich materials. This part of the material is precisely the product of the late crystallization of the lunar magma ocean, and has the characteristics of being fusible. Its addition will significantly reduce the melting point of the lunar mantle and induce partial melting of the lunar mantle to form young lunar basalts. Further simulation results show that the moon’s interior has experienced continuous cooling for more than a billion years, and the temperature has only dropped by about 80 degrees Celsius.


Chen Yi said that this study shows that although the interior of the moon continues to cool slowly, the fusible components crystallized in the late lunar magma ocean are continuously added to the deep lunar mantle, which not only “supplements calcium and titanium” for the lunar mantle, but also lowers the lunar mantle. the melting point, thereby overcoming the slow cooling lunar interior environment and triggering long-lasting lunar volcanism.


The results were published in the latest issue of the American journal Science Advances.