Was on the back

China’s space capsule lands with moon rocks

China is visibly proud after the "precise" landing of its moon capsule.

(Bild: APA/Xinhua)

A capsule from the Chinese spacecraft "Chang'e-6" returned to Earth on Tuesday, for the first time with rock samples from the far side of the moon. As live images from Chinese state television showed, the capsule initially glided down on a parachute for several minutes before finally touching down in the steppe of Inner Mongolia.

"Precisely" at the spot intended for the landing, as the state news agency Xinhua reported. The return of the capsule to Earth marks the successful completion of China's sixth lunar mission since 2007.

The last time "Chang'e-5" brought samples from the front of the moon to Earth for examination was in 2020. In 2019, "Chang'e-4" was the first rover to land on the far side of the moon and explore the terrain there.

China is visibly proud after the "precise" landing of its lunar capsule.

(Bild: APA/Xinhua)

(Bild: APA/Xinhua)

China succeeded in a difficult undertaking
Other countries, on the other hand, found it difficult. In the recent past, several lunar probes from India, Israel, Japan and Russia did not reach their destination as planned. The US space agency NASA also experienced problems: only recently, after years of delays, did the Starliner spacecraft fly to the ISS space station, but helium leaks occurred and the return to Earth has now been postponed. The "Starship" rocket system from the private space travel company SpaceX exploded after just a few minutes in the first three tests, and only the fourth made any progress.

Mission lasted 53 days
For the Chinese, on the other hand, everything went according to plan. The "Chang'e-6" lifted off from the Chinese spaceport on the tropical island of Hainan on May 3. The lander of the spacecraft, named after the Chinese moon goddess, touched down on the moon on June 2 and then began collecting the rock samples. These were transported back to the main spacecraft by an ascent module, which finally brought the samples to Earth. The mission lasted a total of 53 days - exactly as planned.

This means that China has now transported rocks from the moon to earth in two different missions. The USA and the Soviet Union had previously achieved this in the 1960s and 1970s. For the first time, however, samples from the far side of the moon were on board, which scientists hope will provide new insights into the history of the formation of the Earth's satellite.

At the beginning of May, the "Chang'e 6" space probe was launched from the Wenchang spaceport towards the far side of the moon.

(Bild: AFP/Hector RETAMAL)

Based on the geological features of the landing site in the South Pole-Aitken Basin (SPA) of the moon, Chinese researchers assume that the samples brought back will consist of 2.5 billion-year-old volcanic rock. The samples could also contain traces of earlier meteorite impacts.

"Significant differences" to the front suspected
There are "significant differences" between the Earth-facing and the Earth-facing side of the moon in terms of crust thickness, volcanic activity and soil composition, writes Chinese geologist Yue Zongyu from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in the science magazine "The Innovation".

Samples with traces of meteorites could ultimately not only provide information about the evolution of the moon, but also new insights into the formation of the entire inner solar system, explained Yue.

Next mission has its sights set on the south pole of the moon
Further Chinese lunar missions are already in the pipeline. China's "Chang'e-7" mission, planned for 2026, aims to explore the environment at the south pole of the moon even better. China's ultimate goal is to bring its own astronauts to the lunar surface by 2030 and establish an outpost on the Earth's satellite.

Nasa recently had to postpone its lunar program again due to problems with the rocket and spacecraft. The Americans are now planning a manned moon landing in September 2026, so it is not yet clear who will come out on top.

After decades of silence, the moon has once again become the goal of several space-faring nations, partly because important raw materials are believed to be there. The missions are also considered to be technically highly complex and therefore prestigious.