Chang’e-6 Lands, Achieving the World’s First Lunar Far Side Sample Return
On the afternoon of June 25th, the return capsule of Chang’e-6 landed accurately in the designated area of Siziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia. The mission was successful and marked a milestone for China’s lunar exploration program by achieving the world’s first sample return from the far side of the moon.
At around 13:20, the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center injected high-precision navigation parameters into the combined orbiter and returner of Chang’e-6 through ground measurement and control stations. Subsequently, the orbiter and returner separated normally at a distance of about 5000 kilometers above sea level in the South Atlantic Ocean, with the orbiter completing orbit avoidance maneuvers as planned.
At around 13:41, the return capsule of Chang’e-6 entered the Earth’s atmosphere for the first time at an altitude of about 120 kilometers above ground level, approaching the second cosmic velocity (about 11.2 kilometers per second) at high speed over the Atlantic Ocean to initiate initial aerodynamic deceleration. After descending to a predetermined altitude, the return capsule jumped out of the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean and began gliding descent after reaching its highest point. Subsequently, it re-entered the atmosphere for a second time to perform secondary aerodynamic deceleration. When descending to an altitude of about 20 kilometers above ground level, it transitioned into parachute deployment posture. At approximately 10 kilometers in altitude, parachutes were deployed by the return capsule to complete final deceleration and maintain stable posture before landing smoothly in a designated area. The launch site and recovery system technical personnel responsible for search and recovery operations planned their actions based on information provided by Beijing Center regarding landing location coordinates, conducted searches for the return capsule, promptly identified targets, confirmed normal status of the return capsule, and carried out recovery work in an orderly manner.
According to the plan, after the recovered Chang’e-6 return capsule completes necessary ground processing work, it will be transported by air to Beijing for opening. The sample container and carried items will be removed. The China National Space Administration will hold a handover ceremony at an appropriate time, officially transferring lunar samples to the ground application system for subsequent storage, analysis, and research related work.
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