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China Makes History Again: Chang'e-6 Returns with Groundbreaking Moon Samples

In a remarkable achievement, China has successfully collected samples from the far side of the moon, marking a significant milestone in space exploration. The Chang'e-6 mission, launched on May 3, touched down in the Apollo crater within the vast South Pole-Aitken basin on June 1. During its brief but productive stay, the spacecraft gathered approximately 2 kilograms of lunar material using a scoop and drill. The samples, now stored in an ascent vehicle, are expected to return to Earth on June 25, landing in Inner Mongolia. This historic achievement not only demonstrates China's space program prowess but also provides scientists with a unique opportunity to unravel the mysteries of the moon's formation and evolution.   Achievements: - *First-ever samples from the far side*: Chang'e-6 successfully collects lunar material from the moon's less-explored hemisphere. - *Second successful farside landing*: China builds on its 2019 achievement with...
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All You Need to Know About ESA's JUICE Mission

Over the past decades, Jupiter has also been one of the favourite planets that astronomers and space scientists are looking to investigate.

The reasons for interest in Jupiter by astronomers and space scientists are many. Not only Jupiter will answer many questions related to the origin of the solar system and emergence of life, but the presence of water bodies on Jupiter’s three moons (‘Ganymede’, ‘Europa’ and ‘Callisto’) has also caught the eye of various space agencies and has built the enthusiasm in them to explore the Jupiter.

Being one of the largest planets in our solar system and mostly made up of Helium and Hydrogen, it is one of the brightest objects in the night sky after Moon and Venus.


Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer”, abbreviated as “Juice” is the spacecraft in the development phase to explore the Icy moons of Jupiter, and Jupiter itself. The “European Space Agency” has given the contract to “Airbus Defence and Space” company for its design. The spacecraft will be assembled at Toulouse, France.

The main aims of the JUICE mission are to explore the gas-giant Jupiter along with the three Galilean moons (namely ‘Ganymede’, ‘Europa’, and ‘Callisto’) while excluding the ‘Io’ moon of Jupiter. The exploration of the largest planet will unfold many answers to doubtful questions, like the origin of the solar system, formation of the Jupiter and the moons orbiting it.
The spacecraft will set upon a 600-million-km long journey in August 2022. Before its final tour to Jupiter, the JUICE spacecraft will first go through the ‘Vaccum chamber test’ in the Netherlands. After the completion of the test, it will be taken to France and will be made to set off for the exploration tour to Jupiter.

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