A capsule from the Chinese spacecraft “Chang’e-6” has returned to Earth with rock samples from the far side of the moon. As live images from Chinese state television showed, the capsule landed on the steppes of Inner Mongolia on Tuesday afternoon (local time). China last brought rock samples from the moon to Earth in December 2020, while the USA and the Soviet Union succeeded in doing so in the 1960s and 1970s. For the first time, however, samples from the far side of the moon were on board, from which scientists hope to gain new insights into the history of its formation.
The lander of the spacecraft “Chang’e-6”, named after the Chinese moon goddess, touched down on the moon on June 2nd and then collected the rock samples. Based on the geological features of the landing site in the moon’s South Pole-Aitken Basin, Chinese researchers assume that the samples brought back will consist of 2.5 billion year old volcanic rock. Traces of previous meteorite impacts could also be contained in the samples.
There are “significant differences” between the Earth-facing and the Earth-facing sides of the moon in terms of crust thickness, volcanic activity and soil composition, writes Chinese geologist Yue Zongyu of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in the science magazine The InnovationSamples containing traces of meteorites could not only provide information about the evolution of the Moon, but also new insights into the formation of the entire inner solar system.
With the return of the capsule to Earth, China is completing its sixth lunar mission since 2007. The last time “Chang’e-5” brought samples from the front of the moon to Earth for examination was four years ago. Before that, in 2019, “Chang’e-4” was the first rover to land on the far side of the moon and explore the terrain there. Lunar landing missions are considered difficult. In the recent past, several lunar probes from India, Israel, Japan and Russia did not reach their destination as planned.
The successful mission is therefore not only a potential gain for science, but also a prestigious success for the Chinese space program. Bringing a sample back to Earth safely is a laborious task. China is only the third country after the USA and Russia to have achieved this. And the country now wants to tackle the next challenge: in the next decade, Chinese taikonauts are to set foot on the moon for the first time.