Chang'e 6: Chinese space capsule with moon rocks back on Earth

A capsule from the Chinese spacecraft Chang'e 6 has returned to Earth with rock samples from the far side of the moon. The capsule landed in the steppe of Inner Mongolia on Tuesday afternoon (local time), reports the Chinese news agency Xinhua. The Chinese space agency considers the mission a complete success.

The lander of the Chang'e 6 spacecraft, named after the Chinese moon goddess, touched down on the moon on June 2 and then collected the rock samples. The capsule was launched on June 4, reached orbit around the moon and returned to the orbiter. There it handed over the sample, separated from the orbiter again and landed back on the moon to avoid space debris. The orbiter in turn was coupled with a special return probe. Both remained in lunar orbit for 13 days in order to find the right time to return to Earth. After two moon-Earth maneuvers, the return probe separated from the orbiter and landed on Earth with the sample, according to Xinhua.

Samples from the side facing away from Earth for the first time

China last brought rock samples from the moon to Earth in December 2020. Before that, the USA and the Soviet Union had already succeeded in doing so in the 1960s and 1970s. Now, for the first time, samples from the far side of the moon were on board, which scientists hope will provide new insights into the history of the Earth's satellite's formation.

Based on the geological features of the landing site in the South Pole-Aitken Basin (SPA) of the moon, Chinese researchers assume that the samples brought back will consist of 2.5 billion-year-old volcanic rock. The samples could also contain traces of earlier meteorite impacts.

There are "significant differences" between the Earth-facing and the Earth-facing side of the moon in terms of crust thickness, volcanic activity and soil composition, writes Chinese geologist Yue Zongyu from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in the science magazine "The Innovation". Samples with traces of meteorites could ultimately not only provide information about the evolution of the moon, but also new insights into the formation of the entire inner solar system, explained Yue.

Sixth mission since 2007

The return of the capsule to Earth marks the completion of China's sixth mission to the moon since 2007. The last time "Chang'e-5" brought samples from the front of the moon to Earth for examination was in 2020. Prior to that, in 2019, a rover landed on the far side of the moon for the first time with "Chang'e-4" and explored the terrain there.

Lunar landing missions are considered extremely difficult. In the recent past, several lunar probes from India, Israel, Japan and Russia did not reach their destination as planned. Yang Wei, a researcher at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, explained according to Xinhua that the moon has been rooted in Chinese culture for centuries. This is proven by the mythological tale of the woman Chang-e, who traveled to the moon and inhabited it.

(anw)