HELSINKI – A lander docked with the Chang’e-6 service module on Thursday, in a critical step toward bringing the first samples of the far side of the moon to Earth.
The lunar orbit rendezvous and docking were completed at 2:48 a.m. Eastern (0648 UTC) on June 6, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced. The transfer of a container of lunar material to a reentry module was completed at 3:24 a.m.
The Chang’e-6 orbiter will then launch the ascent vehicle, which will then deorbit to the Moon. The orbiter, or service module, will remain in lunar orbit for about two weeks, waiting for a window for a return to Earth. It will launch the reentry capsule for reentry and landing in Siziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia around June 25.
The robotic lunar orbit rendezvous is only the second such operation performed, following the 2020 Chang’e-5 mission. The docking route, rather than a direct return, mirrors aspects of the Apollo mission profile, and as such is practical and experience applicable to China’s plans to put astronauts on the Moon before the end of the decade.
China launched the complex four-spacecraft mission Chang’e-6 on May 3. A lander, loaded with an ascent vehicle, separated from the orbiter and landed in Apollo Crater on the far side of the Moon late on June 1.
Lander collected samples with a scoop and drill. These samples were loaded into the attachment tool. The lander lifted off with up to 2,000 grams of unique samples just over 49 hours after landing, making four orbital adjustments. The orbiter used autonomous short-range control to complete the orbital rendezvous, according to CNSA.
The reentry module will be released shortly before the orbiter returns to Earth. The reentry capsule will bypass the atmosphere to dissipate some of the energy of a high-speed return from the moon. It will then re-enter Earth’s atmosphere.
The recovered samples of the far side of the Moon may contain material extracted from deep below the lunar crust, as well as from multiple impact sources. These may provide insight into why the near and far sides are so different and provide clues to the history of the early solar system.
Meanwhile, the Chang’e-6 orbiter will likely be sent on an extended mission, depending on fuel reserves. The Chang’e-5 orbiter visited Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1 before returning to the Moon to test a distant retrograde orbit.
Chang’e-6 is part of China’s fourth phase of lunar exploration. The country will continue with two missions to the south pole of the moon. These are Chang’e-7 in 2026 and Chang’e-8 – an on-site resource and technology test – around 2028.
The latter pair will serve as the base for the China-led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) program. A number of countries and organizations have signed up to the project.
| The name of the mission | Date of departure | Type of mission | objectives | outcome |
| Change 1 | October 24, 2007 | Orbiter | Lunar mapping, the study of the lunar surface and environment | Successful; created a 3D map of the moon. |
| Change 2 | October 1, 2010 | Orbiter | High-resolution imaging of the lunar surface, Lagrange point survey L2 | Successful; achieved its objectives. |
| Change 3 | December 1, 2013 | Landers and Rovers | Soft landing on the moon, surface exploration with the Yutu rover | Successful; The Yutu rover lost mobility but operated for 31 months. |
| Chang’e 5-T1 | October 23, 2014 | Flight Test | Test reentry technology for the Chang’e 5 sample return mission | Successful; valid reentry capsule design. |
| Change 4 | December 7, 2018 | Landers and Rovers | The first soft landing on the far side of the moon, exploring the surface with the Yutu-2 rover | Successful; ongoing mission. |
| Change 5 | November 23, 2020 | Next to the Return Mission side sample | Collect lunar samples and return them to Earth | Successful; returned 1,731 kg of samples. |
| Change 6 | May 3, 2024 | Far Side Sample The Return Mission | Collect samples from the far side of the moon and bring them back to Earth | Mission in progress. |
| Chang’e 7 (planned) | NET 2026 | Orbiter, Lander, Rover, Hopper | Comprehensive lunar exploration including the polar regions | The planned mission. |
| Chang’e 8 (planned) | NET 2028 | Technology demonstration | Test key technologies for building a lunar base | The planned mission. |