Official announcements from respective space agencies

China's Chang'e-6 Achieves Soft Landing on Moon's Far Side to Collect Samples

Jun 1, 2024, 11:38 PM

China's Chang'e-6 probe has successfully achieved a soft landing on the far side of the Moon, marking a significant milestone in lunar exploration. The landing occurred at 22:23 UTC on June 1 in the South Pole-Aitken Basin, with the help of the Queqiao-2 relay satellite and the 7500N main engine. This mission aims to collect soil and rock samples from the moon's far side, a first in human history. The mission is part of China's broader efforts to advance its space capabilities and compete with the United States in space exploration. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) confirmed the successful landing and noted that the samples will be returned to Earth for analysis.