China's Chang’e-6 mission returns to Earth with rare sample from Moon's far side

China's Chang’e-6 lunar mission returned to Earth on Tuesday (Jun 25), carrying first-ever samples from the far side of the Moon. The mission landed in China’s northern Inner Mongolia region just after 2 pm local time.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has hailed the historic mission as the country's “eternal dream” as Beijing aspires to become a dominating space power and ramp up exploration programmes.

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As per reports, the mission is understood to have returned with up to 2 kilogrammes of moon dust and rocks. The sample will be first analysed by scientists in China and later will be made available to international researchers.

Chang'e-6 mission faced extreme conditions

According to the China National Space Administration (CNSA), the Chang'e-6 managed to endure high temperatures during its mission on the far side of the moon.

Chang'e-6 "withstood the test of high temperature on the far side of the moon," said the space agency.

The operational challenges

Unlike the previous Chang'e-5 mission, which collected samples from the moon's near side, Chang'e-6 operated under additional technical challenges — the probe had to operate without direct links to Earth.

Instead, it communicated through the Queqiao-2 satellite, launched in April to aid this mission.

Using a drill and a robotic arm, the Chang'e-6 probe collected soil from the moon's surface.

The mission also hoisted and planted China's national flag on the dark side of the moon.