By: Shane He

China’s lunar probe, the Chang’e 6 made history on Jun 25, 2024 when it brought back the soil samples from the Moon’s far side. The feat marks the first return of soil samples from the moon’s far side.

The Chang’e 6 is named after the Chinese Moon goddess. It launched in the Hainan province in South China on May 3, 2024. The spacecraft’s journey ended on June 2, 2024, with a picture-perfect landing at the South Pole-Aitken. The 1,600 miles wide and 5 miles-deep SPA basin is located on the far side of the Moon’s surface.

The Chang’e 6 used its drill and robotic arm to collect samples, rocks, and soil from the surface around its landing site. The Lander also took high-quality photos of the lunar surface. On June 4th, 2024, the sample-carrying rocket lifted from the lunar surface and entered the Moon’s orbit. There, it docked with the Chang’e 6 orbiter and transferred the samples to the capsule.

It’s important to learn about the Moon’s far side because we haven’t gotten any samples of the far side. The capsule carried four pounds of lunar material. The capsule landed safely in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia on June 25, 2024. It was retrieved and taken to the China Academy of Space Technology in Beijing. Officials say that some of it will be distributed to researchers in China around the world for analysis.

China’s next plan is to explore the moon’s south pole. The upcoming uncrewed missions, Chang’e 7 which will be launching in 2026, and Chang’e 8, which will be launching in 2028, will focus on searching the areas for water and other resources.