China’s Chang’e-6 mission has successfully collected 1,935.3 grams of lunar samples from the far side of the moon, marking a significant milestone in space exploration. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced the achievement on Friday, handing over the precious samples to research teams from the Chinese Academy of Sciences during a ceremony in Beijing.
The samples, which are more viscous and contain observable clumps compared to previous collections, will undergo storage and processing before scientific research begins. Ge Ping, deputy director of the CNSA’s Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center and spokesperson for the Chang’e-6 mission, highlighted these unique characteristics, emphasizing the potential for new scientific discoveries.
The return capsule of Chang’e-6 landed in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on June 25, carrying the world’s first samples from the moon’s far side. This achievement builds on the success of the Chang’e-5 mission, which previously returned samples that led to significant advancements in understanding lunar formation, evolution, space weathering, and resource utilization.
Over 80 scientific papers have been published based on the Chang’e-5 samples, including the discovery of a new lunar mineral, Changesite-(Y), and identifying the youngest basalt on the moon, estimated to be about two billion years old. These findings have extended our knowledge of lunar volcanism by 800 to 900 million years.
CNSA plans to open applications for the Chang’e-6 samples to domestic research institutions and scientists in about six months. Ge Ping stated that China welcomes international collaboration, inviting scientists worldwide to submit applications according to relevant procedures.
This initiative reflects China’s commitment to sharing its lunar exploration achievements with the global community, fostering international cooperation in space science.
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Chang'e-6 collects 1,935.3 grams of samples from the moon's far side
cgtn.com
