China has achieved a monumental milestone in space exploration by becoming the first country to retrieve samples from the moon’s far side and successfully return them to Earth, a feat that underscores the nation’s growing prowess in the space sector.
The Chang’e-6 mission, named after the Chinese moon goddess, culminated in a historic touchdown in Inner Mongolia at 2 pm local time on June 25. This mission is particularly noteworthy as it brought back the first-ever samples from the part of the moon that remains hidden from Earth’s view.
Launched on a Long March V rocket from Hainan province on May 3, the Chang’e-6 embarked on a journey that would see it travel to the South Pole-Aitken basin, the moon’s oldest and largest impact crater. After more than a month in transit, the mission’s lander executed a precision drilling operation to collect lunar samples using its robotic arm. The lander then ascended to rejoin the orbiter, marking the beginning of its voyage back to Earth.
The mission was shrouded in secrecy until its launch, with the China National Space Administration (CNSA) only disclosing its objectives, landing site, and scientific payloads, which included contributions from international partners. The presence of a rover, which was not announced beforehand, was only revealed through an image shared by the China Academy of Space Technology.
The analysis of these lunar samples is expected to provide unprecedented insights into the moon’s history and its effects on Earth’s evolution. The far side of the moon, which is not protected by Earth’s atmosphere, exhibits a greater number of asteroid impact marks compared to the near side. This difference could offer clues to the early stages of the Earth-moon system, as the moon’s lack of plate tectonics has preserved a record of its early development.
China’s ambitions extend beyond scientific discovery; the nation is also keen on understanding the moon’s resources to support future space missions. The rapid advancement of China’s lunar exploration has prompted NASA to acknowledge the competitive nature of the race to the moon’s south pole, a region believed to contain water and, consequently, potential rocket fuel.
The success of Chang’e-6 aligns with China’s broader space ambitions, which have seen the country deploy rovers to the moon and Mars and complete the Tiangong space station. Additionally, China is at the forefront of constructing an International Lunar Research Station, with plans to complete it by 2030.
