Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Chang’e-6 lander/ascender image from the Moon’s far side.
Image credit: CNSA/CLEP

China’s Chang’e-6 lunar lander mission has lobbed far side snag and stash specimens into orbit around the Moon. The lander served as a temporary “launching pad.”

A 3,000-newton engine worked for about six minutes, pushing the ascender with its cache of lunar materials into lunar orbit.

If all continues on schedule, Chang’e-6’s ascender craft will carry out an autonomous rendezvous and docking with the mission’s orbiter-returner on Friday. After orbiting the Moon for around 14 days, the orbiter-returner combination will shove off on a Moon-Earth transfer orbit.

Ascender rendezvous and docking with returner craft for transfer of lunar samples.
Image credit: CNAS/CCTV

Mini-rover

The Chang’e-6 lander-ascender combination, separated from the orbiter-returner combination on May 30, touched down in the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin on June 2.

From a post-landing panoramic image, the landing area was shown to be very flat.

“Looking into the distance, we can see some mountains, which are the edges of circular craters in the Apollo Basin located beyond the lunar surface,” said Ren Xin, researcher of the National Astronomical Observatories.

During sampling, the spacecraft adopted two methods of lunar far side sampling, including using a drill to collect subsurface samples, which lasted for about three hours, and grabbing samples on the surface with a robotic arm.

Mini-rover images Chang’e-6 lander/ascender.
Image credit: CNSA/CLEP

While not highlighted by China media, a mini-rover was deployed from the lander/ascender, a wheeled Wi-Fi-capable companion that imaged the scene before the lunar specimens were rocketed off the Moon.

This capability was showcased during China’s Zhurong Mars rover mission in 2021. Early in the mission, the rover deployed a Wi-Fi device that captured via an image the Red Planet lander and Zhurong rover positioned side-by-side.

Chang’e-6 pre-launch look with wheeled rover (left) attached.
Image credit: CNSA/CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab

Challenge ahead

Duan Chenglin from the Beijing Aerospace Control Center told China Central Television (CCTV) that the upcoming rendezvous and docking in Moon orbit of the ascender and returner craft is challenging.

Returner craft lets loose the sample container for landing on Earth.
Image credit: CNSA/CCTV

“Rendezvous and docking processes for the space station are very different from those in lunar orbits,” Duan said. The rendezvous and docking of Chang’e-6’s ascender with the orbiter-returner combination in lunar orbit “will be subject to limited capabilities of ground system, short window period for entering the Moon-Earth transfer orbit, as well as limited energy and sunlight, so it must be completed within the planned time.”

Duan added that if the first rendezvous and docking fail, to reverse it for a second try will be highly likely to risk the missing of the window for returning from the moon to Earth, with the returner never being able to come back.”

Capsule begins atmospheric re-entry.
Image credit: CNSA/CCTV

Back to Earth

Given success of rendezvous and docking, the Chang’e-6 probe’s ascender will transfer the samples to the returner, which will then bring the samples back to Earth.

After one to three corrections in about five days, the combination will reach a position above the Earth, where the returner will separate from the orbiter and start the phase of re-entering the atmosphere and returning to Earth.

Taking the heat as capsule maneuvers ever-deeper into Earth’s atmosphere before parachute touchdown.
Image credit: CNSA/CCTV

A capsule carrying the far side specimens will touchdown at a landing area at Siziwang Banner in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Parachuting to Earth, that touchdown will mark the end of the Chang’e-6’s 53-day journey of flying to the Moon and back.

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