On Tuesday, a joint research team from several Chinese institutions published the inaugural research paper on the lunar samples gathered by the Chang'e-6 mission in the journal National Science Review. This research addresses a significant gap in our understanding of the Moon's far side and contributes valuable evidence for studying its early development.

six Apollo missions from the United States, three Luna missions from the Soviet Union, and China's Chang'e-5 mission, all of which focused on the near side of the Moon. In contrast, the Chang'e-6 mission represents a historic achievement, as it is the first successful venture to retrieve samples from the Moon's far side, yielding 1,935.3 grams of material.

This sampling took place in the South Pole-Aitken basin, specifically near the Apollo impact crater, an area characterized by a particularly thin lunar crust that may hold primordial substances from early impact basins. Analysis of the particles indicates a bimodal distribution of grain sizes, suggesting a mixture of materials from various origins. According to the findings, the Chang'e-6 samples feature both basalt, which provides a record of volcanic activity on the Moon, and non-basaltic materials sourced from diverse regions.

These lunar samples are essential for decoding the Moon's ancient history, acting as significant messengers that shed light on its early impact events, volcanic activities on the far side, and the overall composition of the Moon’s interior. Furthermore, this research presents fresh perspectives on the geological contrasts between the far side and the near side of the Moon.