China makes a historic breakthrough: Chang'e-6 probe delivers soil samples from the far side of the Moon

Today a historic event took place: the Chinese Chang'e-6 probe delivered soil samples from the far side of the Moon to Earth for the first time in history. This unique mission, which began on May 3 of this year, ended with the successful return of the device.

Probe return and landing

The Chang'e-6 module entered the Earth's atmosphere over the Atlantic Ocean at 13:41 Beijing time, moving at a speed close to the second cosmic speed (approximately 11.2 km/s). At a certain altitude, the device began gliding, after which it carried out secondary aerodynamic braking. At an altitude of about 20 km, the module switched to the parachute deployment position and opened it at an altitude of about 10 km, successfully landing in a designated area in Inner Mongolia province.

Next steps

After landing, Chang'e 6 will be flown to Beijing. There, scientists will open the probe and remove a container containing samples of lunar regolith. Next, a thorough study of the brought samples will begin, which will open up new opportunities for exploration of the Moon and, possibly, for further space missions.

Thus, China did something that no one had managed before, demonstrating the high level of its space program and opening a new page in the history of space exploration.