China has brought back to Earth never-before-seen samples from the far side of the Moon

It’s a “complete success” for the mission. The Chinese space agency CNSA announced on Tuesday June 25 the return to Earth of the Chang’e-6 probe with on board the first samples ever brought back from the far side of the Moon. Due to its technical complexity, particularly in terms of communications, this is one of the most ambitious missions ever carried out by China in space.

“At 2:07 p.m. (4 hours in France), the Chang’e-6 return module landed” in a desert area of ​​the Inner Mongolia region (northern China) “and everything works normally”, indicated in a CNSA press release. The capsule fell slowly from the sky thanks to a red and white parachute before touching down gently and a red and yellow Chinese flag was planted next to it, according to images broadcast by state television CCTV.

The far side of the Moon is a rarely explored region. It is so called because it is invisible from Earth. It is very promising for research because its rugged features are less smoothed by ancient lava flows than those on the nearest face. The samples taken by Chang’e-6, of the earth and rocks, could thus allow us to know more about the formation and history of the Earth’s natural satellite.

The probe used a drill and a robotic arm to collect the samples. She also took photos of the lunar surface and planted a red and yellow Chinese flag in the gray soil on the far side of the Moon. The Asian giant hopes to launch its first manned mission to the Moon by 2030. It also plans to build a lunar base.