What To Know
- The return capsule of China’s Chang’e 6 mission, which brought back the first-ever samples from the far side of the Moon, has been transferred to Beijing and opened to access its precious cargo.
- This successful conclusion of a 53 day mission marks a major achievement for China, which has brought back the first samples from the far side of the Moon.
- The samples brought back by Chang’e 6 will allow scientists to better understand the composition and geological history of this part of the Moonproviding valuable clues about the evolution of the Solar System.
The return capsule of China’s Chang’e 6 mission, which brought back the first-ever samples from the far side of the Moon, has been transferred to Beijing and opened to access its precious cargo. The move marks a major milestone for China’s space exploration and opens up new prospects for lunar scientific research.
A historic success for lunar exploration
There Chang’e 6 capsule returns to Earth on June 25, after a fiery plunge through the atmosphere, before landing safely in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia. This successful conclusion of a 53 day mission marks a major achievement for China, which has brought back the first samples from the far side of the Moon. The next day, the capsule was flown to the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) in Beijing. An official ceremony was held there to celebrate the achievement. Researchers then opened the capsule and examined key technical indicators, a crucial step in ensuring the integrity of the samples brought back. The sample container, which can hold up to two kilos of lunar materialwas then secured for the next phase of the process: scientific analysis. The samples will first be transferred to dedicated facilities. As with the Chang’e 5 mission, which brought back samples from the near side of the Moon in 2020, these materials will be sorted before being made available to researchers. Initially, Chinese scientists and institutions will have access to the various pieces. The samples will then be opened to international researchers after a period of two years.
An image of China’s Chang’e 6 lander on the far side of the Moon, taken by the mission’s minirover. Credits: CNSA/CLEP
The scientific importance of lunar samples
Collecting samples from the far side of the Moon represents an unprecedented scientific opportunity. And for good reason: unlike the visible side, which has been widely explored and sampled, the far side offers a terrain that is still mysterious and little studied. The samples brought back by Chang’e 6 will allow scientists to better understand the composition and geological history of this part of the Moonproviding valuable clues about the evolution of the Solar System. The researchers will be particularly interested in analyzing the minerals and isotopes contained in the samples. These analyses could reveal crucial information about the processes of formation and evolution of the Moon. In addition, being less exposed to space erosion and meteorite impacts than the near side, the far side of the Moon could contain older and better preserved materials. The success of the Chang’e 6 mission also strengthens China’s position as a major player in space exploration. The Chinese lunar program, with its previous missions Exchange 3, 4 and 5, has demonstrated an increasing capability to carry out complex missions and return valuable samples to Earth. China also has ambitious plans for the future, including manned missions to the Moon and the construction of a lunar base.