Lunar regolith brought back by China’s Chang’e-6 mission has revealed that the Moon formed from the remains of an ancient collision between an object and the Earth.

About Chang’e-6 Mission

• Mission Type: It is the first human sampling and return mission from the far side of the Moon.

• Program: Part of China’s Chang’e lunar exploration program, named after the Chinese goddess of the Moon.

• Launch Details: Launched on May 3, 2024, by a Chinese Long March-5 rocket from Wenchang Space Launch Center, Hainan.

• Components: The mission consists of an orbiter, returner, lander, and ascender.

• Scientific Equipment: The lander was equipped with microwave, laser, and optical imaging sensors to measure distance, speed, and identify obstacles.

Moon Sampling Methods

1. Drilling Subsurface Samples: Collects material from beneath the lunar surface.

2. Robotic Arm Collection: Gathers surface rocks and regolith.

Historic Achievement

• Far Side Exploration: This is the second successful mission to the Moon’s far side, after Chang’e-4 in 2019.

• Communication Challenge: The far side cannot communicate directly with Earth; relay satellites were required to transmit data.

Landing Site

• Location: South Pole-Aitken Basin, a massive crater ~4 billion years old covering 2,500 km of the far side.

• Scientific Importance: Samples may include pieces of the Moon’s interior, excavated by the giant impact that formed the basin.

Mission Timeline

• Landing: June 1, 2024, on the lunar far side.

• Sample Collection: Rocks and regolith gathered.

• Return to Earth: Nearly a month later, the lunar samples successfully returned.

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) recently announced that the Chang’e 6 sample return mission is on track to land on the surface of the Moon in the first half of 2024.

The Chang'e 6 mission is a planned lander designed to return samples from the lunar south pole.The mission aims to land on the Moon, collect samples from the lunar surface, and return them to Earth. This process will contribute crucial data to unravel the Moon's geological mysteries.

• Representing the first attempt to retrieve samples from the far side of the Moon, Chang'e 6 is set to bring back up to two kilograms of lunar samples, adopting a configuration similar to the successful Chang'e 5 mission.
• The mission involves international collaboration, with payloads from the European Space Agency (ESA) and the French space agency CNES.
  • ESA contributes a lunar surface ion tester, while CNES provides equipment for measuring radon gas and its decay products.
  • Additionally, an Italian laser corner reflector for radar instrument calibration and Pakistan's ICUBE-Q CubeSat will be part of the mission.
• Chang'e 6 will consist of both a lander and a rover.
  • The lander will touch down on the lunar surface, while the rover will explore specific regions, conduct experiments, and aid in the sample collection process.
• The returned samples will be made available to the global scientific community for study.