China achieved a historic feat by bringing back the first-ever sample from the lunar far side in June 2024. It’s moon lander, Chang'e 6, used a robotic scoop and drill to collect approximately 5 pounds (2 kilograms) of rocks and soil. These samples came back to Earth on June 25, 2024.
Chang'e 6 built off the accomplishments of two previous Chinese missions: Chang'e 4, which soft-landed on the far side of the Moon and used a rover to explore the surface, and Chang'e 5, which returned samples from the Moon’s near side.
Scientists expect the Chang'e 6 samples to deliver not only key geologic knowledge about the Moon but also improve their understanding of Earth and the solar system’s early history.
Chang'e 6 returned samples to Earth on June 25, 2024.
