The spacecraft from China’s Chang’e 6 mission has been transported to Beijing and opened to access its valuable cargo – samples from the mysterious far side of the Moon.
This spacecraft re-entered the atmosphere on June 25 before landing in Inner Mongolia’s grasslands. This event marked the successful conclusion of the 53-day Chang’e 6 mission, which for the first time brought samples from the Moon’s far side back to Earth.
Technicians opening lunar soil samples.
The spacecraft was transported to the Chinese Academy of Space Technology (CAST) in Beijing, where the spacecraft for this mission was designed.
According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, a solemn ceremony was held as researchers opened the spacecraft’s compartment and examined important technical indicators.
Subsequently, a container weighing 2 kg filled with lunar material was preserved to ensure the next stage of the journey.
The samples will be sent to specially developed facilities for storage, analysis, and distribution for research purposes.
The Chang’e 6 probe was launched into space on May 3 and operated on the Moon for 49 hours. This marks the second landing of a spacecraft on the Moon’s far side. This vast area had not been touched by any spacecraft until January 2019, when China’s Chang’e 4 probe landed in the South Pole-Aitken Basin. However, this is the first time samples from this region have been brought back to Earth.
Prior to this mission, all collected materials from the Moon were from the near side, or the illuminated side of the Moon, through six crewed Apollo landings (USA), three Luna missions from the former Soviet Union, and China’s uncrewed Chang’e 5 mission.
