China’s Chang’e-6 Mission Returns First Rock Samples from Moon’s Far Side

China’s Chang’e-6 mission successfully collects and returns lunar samples from the Moon's far side, marking a significant achievement in space exploration.

China’s Chang’e-6 probe has successfully launched from the far side of the Moon, carrying the first rock samples ever collected from this rarely explored terrain back to Earth. This ambitious mission, which highlights China's growing presence in space exploration, is a significant milestone for the country.

At 7:38 am (Beijing Time) on Tuesday, the ascender lifted off from the lunar surface, as reported by the state-run Xinhua news agency. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced that the ascender has entered a pre-set orbit around the Moon. The return journey to Earth is expected to take about three weeks, with the samples expected to land in China’s Inner Mongolia region around June 25.

The Chang’e-6 mission, which includes an orbiter, a lander, an ascender, and a returner, was launched on May 3. It is the first mission to collect and return samples from the Moon’s far side. After the sampling was completed, a Chinese national flag was unfurled on the Moon’s far side, a first in human history.

This mission is China’s second successful landing on the far side of the Moon, following a similar achievement in 2019. The lander-ascender combination separated from the orbiter-returner combination on May 30 and touched down at the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin on June 2. The spacecraft performed rapid and efficient sampling, collecting both subsurface and surface samples using a drill and a robotic arm.

The CNSA reported that during the sampling process, researchers conducted simulated operations in a ground lab based on data from the Queqiao-2 relay satellite. This provided crucial support for decision-making throughout the mission. The lander was equipped with various scientific instruments, including cameras and detectors, which performed their tasks as planned.

International cooperation was also a part of the mission. The lander carried payloads developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Sweden, as well as by France, which contributed to the scientific research.

The ascender will now perform an unmanned rendezvous and docking with the orbiter-returner combination in lunar orbit. The collected samples will be transferred to the returner, which will then wait for the optimal time to return to Earth. Upon re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the returner will aim for a landing at Siziwang Banner in Inner Mongolia.

China has ambitious future plans for lunar exploration. By 2030, the country aims to land astronauts on the Moon and build a research base at its south pole, a region thought to contain water ice. The Chang’e-6 mission is a crucial step towards achieving these goals, laying the groundwork for more advanced exploration and potential human habitation on the Moon.