Nation's space journey continues apace

陈小将

Spectators observe the retrieval of a lunar soil sample on the Chang'e 6 mission, displayed at the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, last month. HONG ZEHUA/XINHUA
The first-ever samples retrieved from the moon's far side, an iconic feat achieved by China's most recent lunar expedition, Chang'e 6, were on display at the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, which took place in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, from Nov 12 to 17.

This was the first time the valuable lunar substances had been shown to the public since they were brought back to Earth in June.

The Chang'e 6 mission, representing the world's first attempt to bring back samples from the far side of the moon, was launched on May 3 from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province.

After a series of complex maneuvers, the lander of the Chang'e 6 probe touched down at the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the lunar far side on June 2, and then began to collect surface and underground samples.

It was the second-ever landing of a spacecraft on the lunar far side. The vast region had never been reached by any spacecraft until January 2019, when the Chang'e 4 probe landed in the South Pole-Aitken Basin. Chang'e 4 surveyed areas surrounding its landing site, but did not collect samples.

The lander worked for 49 hours on the far side, using a mechanical arm and a drill to collect surface and underground materials.

The unmanned mission successfully concluded on June 25 with a total of 1,935.3 grams of samples from the far side retrieved.