Chinese President Xi Jinping extended congratulations on the complete success of the Chang’e-6 mission, said state-run Xinhua news agency.
Beijing: China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe module returned to Earth on Tuesday, completing its historic mission to collect the first-ever samples from the Moon’s unexplored far side, in a major step forward for the country’s ambitious space programme.
The return capsule landed precisely in the designated area in Siziwang Banner, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 2:07 pm (Beijing Time), operating normally, and “the mission is a complete success,” China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced.
Chinese President Xi Jinping extended congratulations on the complete success of the Chang’e-6 mission, said state-run Xinhua news agency.
China’s probe was the first to reach and collect samples from the far side of the moon.
The development came after India in August 2023 became the first country to land near the little-explored lunar South Pole region when its Chandrayaan-3’s lander, carrying the Pragyaan rover, successfully landed there.
China is the only country to have landed on the far side of the Moon, having done so before in 2019. The far side – which faces away from Earth – is technically challenging to reach due to its distance, giant craters and few flat surfaces.
The reentry module will be airlifted to Beijing for opening, and the lunar samples will be transferred to a team of scientists for subsequent storage, analysis and study, said the CNSA.
