World Recognition for China's Chang'e-6 Lunar Far Side Sample Return Mission
Congratulatory messages are flooding in from the global space community at the 2025 International Astronautical Congress in Sydney, Australia, organized by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF).
The international guests from various fields in the space sector expressed their excitement about China's Chang'e-6 mission winning the 2025 IAF World Space Award. The probe represents a significant milestone for humanity's first-ever sampling from the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the Moon.
In 2024, Chang'e-6 made history by bringing 1,935.3 grams of lunar far-side samples back to Earth. These samples were collected from the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin, the largest, deepest, and oldest basin on the Moon. It provided a rare opportunity to clarify the compositional differences between the near and far sides and to unravel the long-standing mystery of their asymmetry.
The Chang'e-6 probe was launched from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province on May 3, 2024. It touched down on the far side of the Moon on June 2. During its two-day stay, Chang'e-6 used a scoop and drill, collecting nearly 2 kilograms of lunar material. On June 25, 2024, its returner brought back the samples and made a landing in north China.
Duration: 53 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 29, 2025
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