The Chinese probe Chang’e 6 successfully landed on the moon this Sunday morning according to the local time of the Asian country in the hidden side of the moonthus completing another step in its mission of collect samples for the first time in history of the part less visible from Earth of the satellite.

The China National Space Administration reported that the probe, which took off on May 3, successfully carried out the landing maneuver at 6:23 local time (22:23 GMT on Saturday) in the Aitken-South Pole Basin. .

The combined landing-ascent system began powered descent at 6:09 local time (22:09 GMT Saturday), when the variable thrust main engine was ignited, and the combination quickly adjusted its orientation, gradually approaching the lunar surface. . During descent, an autonomous visual obstacle avoidance system was used to automatically detect obstacles.

A visible light camera selected a comparatively safe landing zone based on the lightness and darkness of the lunar surface. After landing, the probe plans to complete the sampling in a period of two days.

To do this, you will use two methods: a drill to obtain elements from the subsoil and a robotic arm to collect specimens from the lunar surface.

The probe, whose round trip will take about 53 daysis made up of four components: an orbiter, a moon landing, an elevator and a reentry module.

The Chang’e program, named after a goddess of Chinese legends which is believed to live on the Moon, began with the launch of a first probe in 2007.

In recent years, Beijing has invested heavily in its space program and has achieved milestones such as the successful landing of Chang’e 4 on the far side of the Moon in January 2019an achievement that no other country had achieved to date, and the construction of its own space station.