On Friday, China announced that it had successfully retrieved 1,935.3 grams of lunar samples from the far side of the Moon with its Chang’e-6 mission. This marked the first time that samples had been returned from the hidden side of Earth’s satellite. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) confirmed the successful return and held a ceremony in Beijing where the samples were handed over to research teams.
The samples brought back by Chang’e-6 were different from previous ones, with a more viscous texture and the presence of lumps. These samples included rocks and regolith, which were extracted from the Aitken crater at the Moon’s South Pole, one of the largest and oldest craters on the lunar surface.
After a successful landing in Inner Mongolia on June 25, the samples were carefully recovered and transferred to Beijing for analysis. Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated the mission’s success and highlighted China’s efforts to become a space and technological power. The next two Chang’e missions are focused on exploring the Moon’s south pole to build a scientific exploration base with Russia and other countries.
The Chang’e-7 mission, scheduled for 2026, will search for water ice deposits at the lunar south pole, while Chang’e-8, set for 2028, will explore potential uses of the resources found on Mars. China also announced plans to explore Jupiter in