China’s Chang’e-6 probe, which travelled to the back side of the Moon, has landed in Inner Mongolia, the China National Space Administration said. Thanks to the Chinese probe, for the first time in the history of mankind, soil from the back side of the Moon was delivered to Earth.

Chinese President Xi Jinping extended congratulations on the complete success of the Chang’e-6 mission that brought the world’s first samples collected from the moon’s far side to Earth. This is reported by
CGTN, a partner of TV BRICS.

“The outstanding contributions you have made will always be remembered by the country and the people,” he said. 

The orbiter-returner combination spent 13 days in lunar orbit, awaiting the right opportunity to return to Earth.

“The Chang’e-6 mission represents a significant milestone in the history of human lunar exploration, and it will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of lunar evolution,” said Yang Wei, a researcher at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

On the Moon, the probe collected soil samples using a drill and a robotic arm. The samples were collected from a crater that formed on the back side of the Moon about 4 billion years ago. 

This is China’s sixth mission under the Chang’e lunar exploration programme. 

Photo:
iStock