The Facts
The China National Space Administration has announced that the PRC's uncrewed Chang'e-6 spacecraft landed in the South Pole-Aitken Basin at 6:23 a.m. Beijing time on Sunday.
The Chang'e 6, launched on May 3, will collect soil and rock samples from the moon's far side for the first time in history and return to Earth in about 53 days.
The Spin
The successful landing of Chang'e-6 lunar lander on the Earth-facing side of the moon, which is dotted with deep and dark craters, shows the PRC's engineering prowess in space exploration. This mission, China's most complex robotic lunar endeavor to date, will not only provide unprecedented comparison between the dark, unexplored region and the better-known near side, but also be a key milestone in China's push to become a dominant space power.
A surge in missions planned for the lunar surface is unfolding worldwide, a dangerous trend as it's not driven by technological advances or scientific research but by the intent to dominate and monopolize the moon's resources to meet commercial goals. China's growing space power, in particular, is a matter of grave concern as Beijing may claim territoriality and leverage it to further its regional and domestic political and military interests.
