Chang'e 6

China's Chang'e-6 spacecraft successfully completed its groundbreaking mission to retrieve samples from the far side of the moon, returning to Earth after a challenging 53-day journey, as reported by AFP.

China has launched a lunar probe on May 3 that will land on the far side of the moon and return with samples that could provide insights into geological and other differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side.

A Chinese lunar capsule returned to Earth on Dec. 17 with the first fresh rock samples from the moon in more than 40 years, offering the possibility of new insights into the history of the solar system and marking a new landmark for China's rapidly advancing space program.