China’s Chang’e 6 Mission Completes Successful Lunar Landing and Sample Collection

A successful 53-day lunar mission has come to an end as the return capsule from China’s Chang’e 6 mission was opened in Beijing to reveal its contents. The capsule made a fiery reentry on June 25 and landed in Inner Mongolia before being transported to the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) for further examination.

During a ceremony held at CAST, a sample container holding up to 4.4 pounds of moon material was secured for further analysis and storage. Special facilities have been developed to store, analyze, and distribute the samples for research purposes. Similar to the samples collected by Chang’e 5 from the moon’s near side in 2020, the materials will be made available for research by Chinese scientists and institutions. After two years, international researchers may also have the opportunity to apply for access to the samples.

NASA-funded researchers were granted permission late last year to apply for access to lunar samples. The materials from the Chang’e 6 mission will provide valuable insights into the composition of the lunar far side and contribute to ongoing research efforts.