Beijing, 25 June 2024 (dpa/MIA) - 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 side of the moon facing away from Earth. Scientists hope they will provide new insights into the history of the formation of Earth's satellite.

The lander of the Chang'e-6 spacecraft, named after the Chinese moon goddess, touched down on the moon's South Pole-Aitken basin region on June 2.

Chinese researchers assume the samples brought back will consist of 2.5 billion-year-old volcanic rock. The samples could also contain traces of earlier meteorite impacts, which could offer clues about how our solar system was formed.

The return of the capsule to Earth marks the completion of China's sixth lunar mission since 2007.

The Chang'e-5 mission brought back samples from the moon's near side in 2020. Before that, China became the first country to land on the far side when the Chang'e-4 rover explored the terrain there in 2019.

Lunar landings are extremely difficult. In the recent past, several probes from India, Israel, Japan and Russia did not reach their destination as planned.

MIA file photo