Chang'e 6 returns with precious lunar samples

The Chang'e 6 mission, representing the world's first attempt at bringing back samples from the far side of the moon to Earth, was launched by a Long March 5 heavy-lift carrier rocket on May 3 from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province.

The 8.35-ton spacecraft was designed and built by the China Academy of Space Technology, a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, and consisted of four components — an orbiter, a lander, an ascender and a reentry capsule.

After a host of sophisticated steps, the lander touched down at the South Pole-Aitken Basin, one of the largest known impact craters in the solar system, on the morning of June 2.