Hong Kong Polytechnic University develops key equipment to help Chang'e-6 collect samples

According to reports from Hong Kong China News Service and Xinhua News Agency, China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe completed the first sampling of the far side of the moon in human history. The key device for performing surface sampling was developed by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Hong Kong Polytechnic University introduced at a press conference on Friday (June 7, 2024) how to overcome the technical difficulties of sampling on the far side of the moon.

Rong Qiliang, director of the Deep Space Exploration Research Center of PolyU, pointed out that due to the influence of the rotation speed of the earth and the moon, humans cannot directly observe the far side of the moon and communicate directly. In addition, the environment on the far side of the moon is complex and the characteristics of the lunar soil are uncertain. Whether it is exploration or landing, the difficulty and challenge of this sampling are greater than sampling on the front side of the moon.

In order to cooperate with the working environment on the far side of the moon, the sampling time is greatly shortened. Rong Qiliang said that the control algorithm and sampling strategy must be redesigned and optimized to improve the intelligence and automation of sampling.