Successful docking

Samples from the far side of the moon reach the return module

The return module (left) together with the lander and the ascent module (far right) of "Chang'e 6" in lunar orbit

(Bild: CGTN)

China has cleared an important hurdle in its mission to bring rock samples from the far side of the moon to Earth. The ascent module of the "Chang'e-6" probe successfully docked with the spacecraft, which consists of an orbiter and a return vehicle, in lunar orbit on Thursday.

After docking, the collected samples were automatically transferred to the return vehicle. The return journey to Earth will now begin "at a suitable time", reported the official Chinese news agency Xinhua. The landing is planned in Inner Mongolia in northern China.

At the beginning of May, "Chang'e-6" took off on its mission from the Wenchang spaceport on the southern Chinese island of Hainan. After just over four days in flight, the probe entered lunar orbit and circled the Earth's satellite to find a suitable time and place for landing.

Last Sunday, "Chang'e 6" reached the moon's largest and oldest impact crater in the so-called South Pole-Aitken Basin. Researchers have long wanted to obtain rock samples from this region, as they may provide information about the formation of the moon, the Earth and the early history of our solar system.