China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe returns with historic samples from far side of the Moon

China's Chang'e-6 probe made a historic return to Earth, bringing back rock and soil samples from the Moon's far side—a global first. The Chang'e-6 landed in northern China's Inner Mongolian region on June 25 in the afternoon, as per AFP.

"I now declare that the Chang’e 6 Lunar Exploration Mission achieved complete success," announced Zhang Kejian, Director of the China National Space Administration, during a televised news conference following the landing, the report added.

Chinese scientists eagerly anticipate that these samples, including 2.5 million-year-old volcanic rock, will provide crucial insights into the geographic differences between the Moon's two sides. The near side of the Moon, visible from Earth, contrasts sharply with the far side, which faces outer space and is characterized by mountains and impact craters rather than flat expanses.

While past missions by the US and Soviet Union have collected samples from the Moon's near side, China's mission is the first to gather samples from the far side successfully. The achievement comes amid broader competition in space exploration, primarily with the United States, which remains the leader in the field,  and other nations including Japan and India. China has also established its own space station and regularly sends crews there.

Chinese President Xi Jinping praised the Chang'e team, calling the mission a "landmark achievement in our country's efforts at becoming a space and technological power."

The Chang'e-6 probe, launched on May 3, completed its 53-day mission by drilling into the lunar surface and collecting rock samples. "The samples are expected to answer one of the most fundamental scientific questions in lunar science research: what geologic activity is responsible for the differences between the two sides" explained Zongyu Yue, a geologist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in a statement published in Innovation Monday, a journal associated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

In recent years, China has undertaken multiple successful lunar missions, including the Chang’e-5 mission, which collected samples from the Moon’s near side. With the successful return of Chang'e-6, scientists are hopeful that the samples will also contain material with traces of meteorite impacts from the Moon’s past.

The analysis of these samples will soon begin, potentially offering new insights into the Moon's history and the geological processes that shape planetary bodies. This mission not only marks a significant milestone for China's space programme, but also contributes to the global understanding of lunar science.

(With Inputs from AFP)