This image from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter camera shows China’s Chang’e 6 in the Apollo basin on the far side of the moon on June 7, 2024. The lander is visible as a small cluster of bright pixels in the center of the image. The image is 552 meters wide; north is up. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
NASAThe Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter imaged the Chinese Chang’e 6 on the Moon, revealing its location on a crater in the geologically rich Apollo Basin, characterized by ancient basalt flows.
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) imaged the Chinese return spacecraft Chang’e 6 on the far side of the Moon on June 7. Chang’e 6 landed on June 1, and when LRO passed over the landing site nearly a week later, it acquired an image showing the lander on the edge of an eroded crater 55 yards (about 50 meters) in diameter.
The LRO Camera team calculated the coordinates of the landing site as about 42 degrees south latitude, 206 degrees east longitude, at an altitude of about minus 3.27 miles (minus 5,256 meters).
This before-and-after animation of LRO images shows the appearance of the Chang’e 6 lander. The increased brightness of the terrain around the lander is due to interference from the lander’s engines and is similar to the blast zone seen around other lunar landers. The before image is from March 3, 2022, and the after image is from June 7, 2024 Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
The Chang’e 6 landing site is located toward the southern end of the Apollo basin (about 306 miles or 492 km in diameter, centered at 36.1 degrees south latitude, 208.3 degrees east longitude). Basalt lava erupted south of Chaffee S Crater about 3.1 billion years ago and descended westward until it encountered a local topographic high, possibly fault-related. Several wrinkle ridges in this region have deformed and raised the surface of the mare. The landing site is located about midway between two of these prominent ridges. This basalt flow also overlaps a slightly older flow (about 3.3 billion years old) visible further west, but the younger flow is different because it has higher amounts of iron oxide and titanium dioxide.
Regional context map of the Chang’e 6 landing site. Color differences enhanced for clarity. The dark area is a basalt deposit; the bluer areas of the mare are higher titanium flows. Contour lines marking 100-meter (about 328 ft) elevation intervals are superimposed to provide a sense of the topography. The image is about 118 miles (190 km) in diameter. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is a primary spacecraft designed to study the surface of the Moon in detail. Launched on June 18, 2009, the mission primarily aims to collect high-resolution images and data to facilitate the selection of future landing sites, assess the Moon’s mineral resources, and analyze the lunar radiation environment. Equipped with an array of powerful instruments, including high-resolution cameras and a laser altimeter, LRO maps the lunar terrain in exquisite detail, helping scientists understand the moon’s geology and identify areas rich in resources such as water ice.
Artist’s illustration of NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
LRO has greatly expanded our knowledge of the Moon, contributing to discoveries such as confirming the presence of water ice in permanently shadowed craters and mapping lunar surface temperatures. Instruments such as the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) and the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment provide critical data on lunar topography and thermal behavior that are critical to planning future human and robotic missions. By continuing to transmit valuable data back to Earth, LRO supports ongoing research that advances our return strategies to the Moon and beyond, marking it as a cornerstone of lunar exploration technology.
Chang’e 6 lander and lander. Credit: China National Space Administration
Chang’e 6, part of China’s lunar exploration program and named after the Chinese moon goddess, is a robotic lunar mission operated by the China National Space Administration. Launched from Hainan Island on May 3, 2024, the mission included a lander and a mobile camera rover that touched down on the far side of the Moon on June 1, 2024. This mission, China’s second to include sample returns, included the collection of lunar samples using a robotic scoop and drill. These samples were transferred to an ascent module, which then docked with an orbiter into lunar orbit on June 6, 2024, to transfer the samples for return to Earth. In addition, the lander and rover conducted various scientific experiments on the Moon.
