Chinese probe returns with first samples from the unexplored back side of the Moon
Kyiv • UNN
China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe has successfully returned to Earth with the first samples from the unexplored backside of the Moon after a nearly two-month mission.
A Chinese lunar probe has returned to Earth with the first samples from the unexplored back side of the Moon, UNN reports citing the BBC.
Details
Chang'e-6 landed in the Inner Mongolian desert on Tuesday after a nearly two-month mission that was fraught with risks, state media reported.
Scientists are looking forward to Chang'e-6 because the samples may answer key questions about how planets form.
China is the only country to have landed on the back of the Moon, having done so earlier in 2019.
The side facing away from the Earth is technically difficult to reach due to its remoteness and complex terrain with giant craters and few flat surfaces.
Chang'e-6 was launched from the space center in early May and a few weeks later successfully landed in a crater near the Moon's south pole.
The probe used a drill and a robotic arm to dig up soil and stones, took some photos of the surface, and planted a Chinese flag.
Over the past decade, Beijing has invested huge resources in its space program in an effort to catch up with the United States and Russia.
