Lunar lander China will finish on the moon earlier than expected | Abroad

Named after the goddess of the moon in Chinese myths, the Chang’e-5 was launched last week. On Tuesday, it landed on Mons Rümker, an ancient volcanic formation in the northern hemisphere of the moon. It was formed about 1 billion years ago and is therefore younger than many places on the moon that have been explored so far.

The Chang’e-5 has collected several kilos of soil material with a robotic arm and a drill. Those samples are stored in the hold.

History of the Moon

Scientists want to examine the soil samples to get a better picture of the composition and history of the moon. It is not clear whether the material is only provided to Chinese researchers, or whether it is also shared with people from other countries.

The last time moon rocks were brought to Earth was in 1976, when the Soviet Union’s Luna 24 mission retrieved about 170 grams of rocks. The twelve Americans who walked on the moon also brought all kinds of lunar rocks to Earth.

Taikonaut

China has become increasingly active in space travel in recent decades. The country does that for the most part itself. In 2003, a Chinese ‘taikonaut’ went into space for the first time. In 2013, a Chinese cart landed on the moon for the first time. Earlier this year, an unmanned Chinese explorer left for Mars, where it is due to arrive next year. In the coming years, China also wants to build its own space station.

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