China’s Chang’e 6 Landing Marks a Major Milestone in Lunar Exploration, Bringing Home First-Ever Far Side Samples

Inner Mongolia’s grasslands played host to the successful landing of China’s Chang’e 6 mission return capsule on June 25. The fiery plunge through the atmosphere marked the end of the 53-day-long mission, which brought back the first-ever lunar far side samples to Earth. Researchers at the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) examined key technical indicators after the capsule was airlifted to Beijing and transferred to their facility.

During a ceremony held at CAST, a sample container holding up to 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms) of material from the moon was secured for further processing. These samples will be transferred to specialized facilities for storage, analysis, and distribution for research purposes. Similar lunar samples collected by Chang’e 5 in 2020 will also be made available for research to scientists and institutions in China, with the possibility of applications from international researchers after two years.

NASA-funded researchers were granted special clearance last year to apply for access to lunar samples. This latest achievement in China’s space exploration efforts marks an important milestone in the study of the moon’s far side. The success of this mission underscores China’s commitment to advancing space exploration and discovery, paving the way for future manned missions to Mars and beyond.