Shou Xiaoli:

Thank you, Mr. Bian. The floor is now open for questions. Please state the name of the media organization you work for before asking your questions.

China Daily:

Yesterday afternoon, the reentry capsule of the Chang'e-6 lunar probe was opened in Beijing. The public is very interested to know, how many grams of lunar samples were retrieved this time? In addition, what challenges and difficulties did you encounter during this mission to the moon's far side? And what innovations were made during the Chang'e-6 mission?

Bian Zhigang:

I'd like to invite Mr. Hu to answer your questions.

Hu Hao:

Just like the Chang'e-5 sampling mission, our plan was to bring back 2 kilograms of lunar soil during the Chang'e-6 mission. The container was designed to hold exactly 2 kilograms, and cannot hold any more. We will have to wait until tomorrow to reveal whether we have achieved this goal, but we are confident that there will be surprises.

Originally as a backup for Chang'e-5, the Chang'e-6 program was intended to fulfill a new mission: working on the far side of the moon. Speaking of challenges faced by the program, I believe they can be summarized in the following aspects: First, were in terms of quality and reliability. Space missions are extremely complex. As a backup, it had been a long time since the Chang'e-6 spacecraft was produced. All products have a lifespan as soon as they are produced, and the lifespan of Chang'e-6 determined how the mission would be completed. How do we handle, replenish and replace these products with longer production times during the implementation? All these were significant challenges.

To successfully complete the Chang'e-6 probe mission, we made some replacements based on spare components for the Chang'e-5 spacecraft. We must ensure that all products sent into space are safe and reliable. The same is true for ground-based products. As the aerospace sector is a large system, only by collaborating between space and ground systems can we accomplish the mission. The quality of ground-based equipment affects the reliability of the entire system. Much of the equipment was manufactured during the Chang'e-1 mission, so before the launch of Chang'e-6, we thoroughly reviewed the quality and reliability of the spacecraft and ground equipment to ensure that the entire system was more robust, healthier and more reliable. This was our first challenge. To complete any mission, we must have a healthy body, so we always follow the principles of putting the condition of the probe and rocket first. 

Second, the challenges brought to us by changes in technological conditions. To land and collect samples on the far side of the moon, we needed to make many compatibility changes and also some adjustments to adapt to the conditions on the moon's far side. As we know, direct communication is not possible with the moon's far side, which required us to add a relay satellite. The probe needed to be adapted to this relay satellite's requirements, which then brought us many challenges. We paid great attention to the challenges brought by the changes in technological conditions. Through thorough verification and full preparation, we ensured these changes in conditions could respond to the requirements of the lunar environment and the entire system.

Third, the challenges in terms of planning. We started the Chang'e-6 mission in August 2022, and launched the lunar probe on May 3, 2024, giving us only around a year and a half for preparation. This was a tense part of the whole project. Moreover, we added international payloads and a relay satellite. We needed to develop the relay satellite from scratch, and our research team overcame multiple difficulties during this short period to carry out numerous experiments and extensive verification work. The current relay satellite was designed not only for the Chang'e-6 mission, but also for subsequent missions. Therefore, we needed to carry out continuous cutting-edge research to ensure it met the needs of both the Chang'e-6 mission and subsequent development. Therefore, we carried out a lot of work in terms of research and development in the past more than one year, which was quite challenging.

Fourth, challenges in terms of international payload cooperation. We promised to carry 10 kilograms of international payloads on both the lander and the orbiter and we fulfilled our promise. We did a good job in carrying the payloads, which were all related to research projects. During this period of more than one year, we needed to work with international teams to jointly complete the mission, which was very challenging. We speak different languages, have different working habits, and follow different standards on research and development programs, therefore, we needed to accommodate each other as we carried out a large number of experiments. The facts show that we successfully fulfilled our mission, or in other words, we successfully addressed these challenges. These challenges are invaluable and we will draw on these experiences to perform more complicated tasks in the future. Thank you.