Unraveling Chang'e-6: How unique are images captured by China's new lunar probe?

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has released the first images captured by the Chang'e-6 probe following its historic landing on the far side of the moon on June 2. The images, unveiled on Tuesday, include three taken during the landing process and a panoramic view of the surrounding area.

"The panoramic image reveals a remarkably flat landing area, confirming a well-chosen and safe location. In the distance, we can observe mountains, the edges of craters within the Apollo Basin that extend beyond the landing site," Ren Xin, a researcher from the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC), told China Media Group (CMG) .

Comparing the landing site of Chang'e-6 to that of its predecessor Chang'e-5, Ren Xin highlights a key difference, "The most striking difference is the scarcity of large rocks in the Chang'e-6 landing zone. Chang'e-5, in contrast, featured a prominent rock measuring roughly 30 centimeters, believed to be ejected from a distant source. The Chang'e-6 site, however, only exhibits a few small rocks, around 3-5 centimeters in size, contributing to a smoother overall surface."

"However, we can still observe smaller impact craters and traces resembling mud, potentially indicating remnants of ejected material within the area. The multiple payloads installed on the lander, including the landing camera, panoramic camera, lunar soil structure detector and lunar mineral spectrum analyzer, worked well and carried out scientific exploration as planned," Ren added.

The Chang'e-6 lander carried a suite of scientific instruments, including a landing camera, a panoramic camera, a lunar soil structure detector and a lunar mineral spectrum analyzer. All instruments functioned as planned and successfully conducted their assigned scientific tasks.

Elaborating on the function of the lunar soil structure detector, Su Yan, another NAOC researcher, told CMG that, "This instrument essentially acts like a CT scanner for the moon, using electromagnetic waves to probe the shallow subsurface. Throughout the mission, the detector performed four scans."

"The first scan, conducted prior to drilling, provided an initial understanding of the subsurface structure down to a depth of three meters. This preliminary data aided in identifying the distribution of rocks and ultimately contributed to the success of the drilling operation," said Sun. 

"The following three scans were performed after drilling, utilizing different parameter configurations to generate detailed maps of the underground structure. Initial findings suggest a significant presence of scattered rocks within the first three meters below the lunar surface," Sun added.

Launched on May 3, the Chang'e-6 mission marks a significant milestone in lunar exploration. The probe consists of four separate modules: an orbiter, a lander, an ascender and a returner. After separating from the orbiter and returner combination on May 30, the lander-ascender duo touched down successfully within the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the moon on June 2.

The successful landing and initial data collection by Chang'e-6 mark a major step forward in China's lunar exploration program. As scientists analyze the returned samples and probe data,  more valuable insights into the geological history and composition of the moon's far side are expected.

Read more: Unraveling Chang'e-6: Chinese flag on moon's far side made of basalt