Let nothing fail: it is the Spanish space diplomacy of the Air and Space Army with China that is at stake, to a large extent. The Chang'e-6 space probe, named after the Chinese lunar goddess, has entered orbit around our satellite. The launch was carried out from the Satellite Launch Center of the China National Space Administration (CNSA) in Wenchang, on Hainan Island. The INTA Canary Islands Space Center (Maspalomas) and the Kourou tracking station (French Guiana) of the European Space Agency played a very important role in it.
The work of INTA in the launch has been key, since in addition to providing support during it, before takeoff the Maspalomas Ground Segment and the Department of Space Programs of INTA carried out rigorous tests to guarantee the correct functioning of the the ship. This exhaustive battery of tests included training and simulations of possible failures during operations, demonstrating INTA's high level of commitment to the Chang'e-6 mission, in the same way as it did in the previous one, Chang'e-5, launched in December 2020.
Chang'e-6 is scheduled to land in the Aitken-South Pole Basin, one of the most prominent and largest geological features on the Moon that is, in reality, a huge impact crater. With a diameter of approximately 2.500 kilometers and a depth of about 13 kilometers, it is one of the largest known impact basins in the Solar System. Exploration of this region will provide valuable data on the early history of the Moon and, by extension, that of the Solar System. According to the planned schedule, on June 25 the Chang'e-6 mission will return to Earth and the Maspalomas station will once again play a fundamental role, offering Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TTC) support during re-entry.
