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French payload aboard Changâe-6 successfully completes mission
(HTM) Source
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Photo: Official WeChat account of Chinese Academy of Science
The French payload aboard China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe, named
Detection of Outgassing RadoN (DORN), has successfully completed its
mission tasks, and has become a "permanent resident" on the far side
of the moon, a Chinese research institute under the Chinese Academy of
Science (CAS) announced on Monday.
During the Chang'e-6 mission, a collaborative team of Chinese and
French scientists, engineers and technicians worked together on the
operation of the radon gas detector at the National Astronomical
Observatories of China. This marks the first collaboration between
China and France in the field of deep space exploration.
DORN, the first French instrument to operate on the moon, used a
silicon-based detector to measure the ionizing radiation on the lunar
surface, detecting radon isotopes and studying the transmission and
diffusion mechanisms of volatile compounds in the lunar environment.
The scientific goal of DORN is to study the origin and dynamics of the
extremely thin lunar atmosphere, the thermal and physical properties
of lunar soil, and the movement of lunar dust.
According to the research team from the Institute of Geology and
Geophysics of CAS, the French instrument was first activated on May 6
during the lunar orbit cruise period, some 320,000 kilometers from
Earth, and managed to measure the background noise of the space
environment and natural pollution on the lunar surface.
On May 17, DORN conducted measurements in the lunar orbit, working
continuously for a total of 32 hours. The data sent back to Earth
confirmed that all 16 detectors of the instrument were functioning
properly, obtained data on the flux of charged particles in the solar
wind, tracked their decay over time and observed the shielding effect
of the moon on these particle fluxes.
On May 23, DORN was powered on for the third time, and continuously
worked on the moon for 111 hours. On June 2, shortly after the
Chang'e-6 lunar probe landed on the far side of the moon to collect
the first batch of samples, DORN completed measurements of the lunar
surface.
The Chang'e-6 mission has carried four payloads developed through
international cooperation, including those from France, Italy and the
European Space Agency (ESA) and Pakistan.
China is set to further expand its international collaborations in
upcoming lunar exploration endeavors following the successful
operation of Chang'e-6, Liu Yunfeng, deputy director of the China
National Space Administration's (CNSA) international cooperation
department, said on June 27.
The country's Chang'e-7 lunar exploration mission, scheduled for
launch around 2026, will carry six international scientific
instruments; Chang'e-8, eyeing to be launched around 2028, will offer
200 kilograms of international payload capacity and has garnered over
30 applications, said Liu.
China has always maintained an open and inclusive attitude toward
international cooperation, which is rare in today's complex global
landscape, experts said.
While the US is busy chanting the "China threat" rhetoric in a so-
called space race, China has been walking steadily step by step and
produced rich, concrete results, Wang Ya'nan, chief editor of Beijing-
based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times.
Wang noted that China has, through a series of successful space
missions, demonstrated an exceptionally high capability and
reliability. And this serves as a prerequisite for a good partnership,
where richer samples and more ideal scientific results can be better
achieved.
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