China's lunar far-side sample return mission. First samples ever collected from the Moon's far side.
Chang'e 6 accomplished what no mission had done before: collecting and returning samples from the far side of the Moon. The mission landed in the Apollo Basin within the vast South Pole-Aitken Basin on June 1, 2024, scooped and drilled lunar material, and launched it back to lunar orbit for transfer to a return capsule.
The far side of the Moon never faces Earth, making direct communication impossible. China used its Queqiao-2 relay satellite, launched in March 2024 specifically to support Chang'e 6, to maintain communications during the landing and surface operations. This relay infrastructure demonstrates China's growing capability for complex multi-mission lunar architectures.
The return capsule landed in Siziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia on June 25, 2024, carrying 1,935 grams of lunar material. These far-side samples are scientifically invaluable — they come from the oldest and largest impact basin on the Moon, and their composition differs significantly from the nearside samples returned by Apollo and Chang'e 5. Early analysis has revealed differences in volcanic history and mineral composition between the near and far sides.
Collect the first-ever samples from the lunar far side, using both a drill (up to 2 m depth) and a surface scoop to gather diverse material.
Sample material from the oldest and largest impact basin on the Moon (~4.3 billion years old, 2,500 km diameter), providing unique insights into the Moon's interior composition and early impact history.
Demonstrate autonomous landing, sampling, and ascent on the far side of the Moon with no direct Earth communication, relying on the Queqiao-2 relay.
Launch a sample-carrying ascent vehicle from the lunar surface, dock with the orbiter in lunar orbit, and transfer samples to the return capsule — a complex multi-step operation.
Safely return samples through Earth's atmosphere using a skip re-entry technique at ~11 km/s, landing precisely at the designated recovery zone in Inner Mongolia.
Chang'e 6 executed flawlessly across all mission phases. The lander touched down in the Apollo Basin on June 1, 2024, spent approximately two days collecting samples via drill and scoop, then launched the ascent vehicle to rendezvous with the orbiter in lunar orbit. The return capsule separated and performed a precise skip re-entry through Earth's atmosphere on June 25, landing in Siziwang Banner carrying 1,935 grams of far-side lunar material.
Early scientific analysis has revealed that these samples differ significantly from all previously returned lunar material, with distinct volcanic and mineralogical signatures that are already reshaping understanding of the Moon's geological asymmetry.
China's Chang'e 6 sample return capsule landed in Siziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia, carrying 1,935 grams of lunar material from the South Pole-Aitken Basin — the first samples ever collected from the Moon's far side.
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