By: Chloe Ong
On June 25, 2024, China’s Chang’e 6 lunar probe made history by returning soil samples from the Moon’s far side–the first such retrieval from this unexplored region.
Named after the Chinese Moon goddess, the Chang’e 6 spacecraft launched from the Hainan province on May 3, 2024. After a month-long journey, it landed on June 2, 2024, in the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin– a massive, ancient impact crater on the Moon’s far side, extending about 1,600 miles (2,500 km) wide and 5 miles (8 km) deep.
One of the lander’s initial tasks was to plant China’s national flag, made entirely from basalt and measuring approximately 12 by 8 inches (300 mm by 200 mm), on the lunar surface.
“So we thought that, since this material actually exists in large quantities on the Moon, how can we use it as a high-performance inorganic fiber?” said Cao Genyang, a professor at Wuhan Textile University.
Following that, the Chang’e 6 employed its drill and robotic arm to gather rocks and soil samples from the vicinity of its landing site. The lander also took high-resolution photographs of the lunar surface. On June 4, 2024, the sample-carrying rocket launched from the Moon, docked with the Chang’e 6 orbiter and transferred the samples to the return capsule for the journey back to Earth.
According to a Dogo news article, the capsule, containing about four pounds (two kg) of lunar material, landed in Inner Mongolia’s grasslands on June 25, 2024. It was then transported to the China Academy of Space Technology in Beijing. Chinese officials plan to keep a portion of the samples while distributing the rest to global researchers for analysis.
The retrieved materials are expected to provide insights into the evolution of the Moon’s far side, the differences between its near and far sides, and possibly the early history of the solar system.
China’s future lunar exploration plans include Chang’e 7 in 2026 and Chang’e 8 in 2028, which will search the Moon’s south pole for water and other resources. Crewed missions in 2030 and the construction of a permanent base at the south pole are also planned.