China makes history as 1st country to retrieve samples from Moon’s far side
By Ryan General
China’s unmanned Chang’e-6 lunar mission successfully landed in Inner Mongolia on Tuesday, bringing home the world’s first-ever samples from the far side of the Moon, a region previously unexplored by sample return missions.
- Unlocking space secrets: The Chang’e-6 probe collected lunar soil from the South Pole-Aitken Basin, a massive crater on the Moon’s far side. Scientists believe these samples could hold crucial clues about the formation of the Moon, Earth and the solar system. Chinese and international scientists will be conducting analysis of the samples in Beijing.
- A leap in the space race: In its aim to position itself as a major space power, China plans to launch Chang’e-7 to the lunar south pole in 2026, followed by Chang’e-8 in 2028 to focus on resource utilization for a planned lunar research station. China plans to put astronauts on the Moon by 2030.
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