America's paranoia might get intensified in the coming days as China is nearing the launch of its next Moon mission. The mission is named Chang'e 6 and its objective is bringing soil and rock samples from the far side of the Moon. This is the first time such a mission has been planned.
According to South China Morning Post, it is expected to launch in early May. It includes a lander that will collect about 2 kg of samples after touching down in the Apollo basin and send them to Earth for analysis. Back in 2020, China retrieved roughly 1.7 kg of samples from the Oceanus Procellarum region on the Moon's near side.
For those wondering, the far side or dark side of the Moon is the side which is not visible from Earth. It is called dark only because of its mysteriousness. It receives equal amount of sunlight as the near side. Learn more about the far side here.
Notably, China already has a rover on the far side of the Moon. The Yutu-2 rover touched down in 2019 and has exploring the region ever since.
China hopes that Chang'e-6 will bolster its efforts to land its astronauts on the Moon by 2030. It will also reveal more about the Moon's history and evolution as well that of the solar system.
The mission is also likely to make the U.S. more nervous as China has achieved some major milestones in the space sector.
ALSO SEE: NASA Chief Warns China Is Hiding Military Presence In Space Under Civilian Programs
Earlier this month, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said that China is hiding military operations in low-Earth orbit under the garb of civilian space program. Besides, he has also accused China of planning to hijack the Moon - to which Chinese scientists responded with the 'colonial mindset' jab.
Nelson has also admitted that the U.S. is in a space race with China as it has its own objective of Moon landings by 2026 under the Artemis Program.
ALSO SEE: What's On The Far Side Of The Moon? Well, Not Darkness.
