Learn more

Chinese lunar probe Chang’e-6 has returned to Earth with the first rock samples taken from the far side of the moon, in a big milestone for the country’s burgeoning space programme and for humanity’s exploration of our closest neighbour. The capsule touched down on the steppes of China’s northern region of Inner Mongolia on Tuesday, live images from Chinese state television showed. China last brought back rock samples in December 2020. The United States and the Soviet Union carried out their own missions in the 1960s and 1970s. However, this was the first mission to retrieve samples from the s…