China’s Chang’e 6 Returns Moon Samples to Earth: A New Era for Lunar Research”.

Inner Mongolia’s grasslands played host to the successful landing of China’s Chang’e 6 mission return capsule on June 25, marking the end of the 53-day-long mission. This marked a historic moment as it brought back the first-ever lunar far side samples to Earth. The capsule was then airlifted to Beijing and transferred to the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), where researchers opened it and examined key technical indicators.

During a ceremony held at CAST, a sample container holding up to 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms) of material from the moon was secured for further processing. These samples will be transferred to specialized facilities for storage, analysis, and distribution for research purposes. Similar to the lunar samples collected by Chang’e 5 in 2020, these materials will be made available for research to scientists and institutions in China, with the possibility of applications from international researchers after two years.

NASA-funded researchers were granted special clearance last year to apply for access to lunar samples. This latest achievement in China’s space exploration efforts marks an important milestone in the study of the moon’s far side. This success underscores China’s commitment to advancing space exploration and providing opportunities for scientific research and discovery.