Samples taken from Moon՛s far side for first time have been removed from capsule and sent for study

The capsule of China's Chang'e 6 mission, carrying the first sample taken from the far side of the moon, has arrived in Beijing, where it has been opened, after which the valuable cargo has been prepared for its next trip.

Soil samples taken from the far side of the moon were successfully delivered to Earth by the Chang'e 6 mission capsule on June 25, when the capsule landed in Inner Mongolia province.

The event marked the successful completion of Chang'e-6's 53-day mission. The capsule containing the samples arrived in Beijing early on Wednesday (June 26) at the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), which designed the Chang'e 6 spacecraft.

Upon arrival at the Academy, the researchers opened the return capsule and examined key technical indicators. The container, which held about 2 kg of soil samples taken from the Moon, was then prepared for the next stage of its journey. Samples will be transported to specially designed facilities for storage, analysis and distribution for research purposes.

As with the samples taken from the moon's closest approach to Earth in 2020 by the Chang'e 5 mission, these samples will also be sorted and then made available to Chinese scientists and institutions for research. Samples will be available to international groups and researchers in about two years.