BEIJING: A Chinese probe carrying samples from the far side of the Moon returned to Earth on Tuesday, capping a technically complex 53-day mission heralded as a world first.

The landing module of the Chang’e-6 spacecraft touched down at a predetermined site in Inner Mongolia at 2:07pm, the China National Space Administration said, hailing the mission a “complete success”.

It comes bearing soil and rocks from the side of the Moon facing away from Earth, a poorly understood region that scientists say holds great research promise because its rugged features are less smoothed over by ancient lava flows than the near side. That means the materials harvested there may help us to better understand how the Moon formed and how it has evolved over time.

China’s space agency said the probe was “functioning normally, signalling that the Chang’e-6 lunar exploration mission was a complete success”. President Xi Jinping said in a congratulatory message that the “outstanding contributions” of the mission command “will be remembered forever by the motherland and the people”, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Chang’e-6 blasted off from a space centre on the island province of Hainan on May 3 and descended into the Moon’s immense South Pole-Aitken Basin almost exactly a month later.

It used a drill and robo­tic arm to scoop up samples, snapped some shots of the pockmarked surface and planted a Chinese flag made from basalt in the grey soil.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2024