Another surprise: China's lunar probe Chang'e 6 probably has a rover on board
With Chang'e 6, China has launched its most difficult mission to the moon to date and has probably prepared a surprise. A rover was discovered in a picture.
The wheels of the presumed rover can be seen at the bottom left under the black solar panels.
A Chinese lunar probe launched a few days ago apparently has a previously undisclosed rover on board. This was reported by Spacenews, citing a photo of the Chang'e 6 spacecraft, which appears to show a small vehicle attached to the side.
It would not be the first time that China has had a surprise in store for a space mission. The unmanned lunar probe was launched on Friday and has been on its way to the far side of the Earth's satellite ever since. From there, it is to bring rock samples to Earth for the first time, from the largest and oldest impact crater. The mission is scheduled to last a total of 53 days.
Chang'e 6 was launched on Friday with a "Long March-5 Y8" rocket from the Wenchang spaceport on the southern Chinese island of Hainan and is currently flying to the moon. As the name makes clear, it is China's sixth lunar mission since 2007; the direct predecessor probe Chang'e 5 brought samples from the front of the moon to Earth in 2020. Among other things, a previously unknown mineral was discovered. For the new mission, it is now planned that the orbiter will first enter a lunar orbit. The lowered lander will then head for the target area in the south polar Aitken Basin, where it will take samples. The collected material is then transferred to the ascent module, which brings the rock samples to the orbiter, which transports them to Earth.
In preparation for the most difficult Chinese lunar mission to date, the People's Republic sent Queqiao-2, a communications satellite, to the moon just a few weeks ago. If Chang'e 6 fulfills its mission, it would also be a prestigious success for the Middle Kingdom. A whole series of lunar missions have recently failed, including one from Russia. At the same time, however, India and Japan, for example, have celebrated great successes, and the first private-sector mission has also reached the Earth's satellite. As with previous missions, China is also having instruments from other countries flown on Chang'e-6. However, the rover that has just been discovered suggests that China has more surprises planned.
(mho)