OMM Redaksiyası
China has presented the United Nations with a soil sample collected from the side of the Moon that is not visible from Earth. The presentation took place during a ceremony at the UN Office in Vienna on Sept. 14.
The sample, brought to Earth two years ago after covering a distance of nearly 500,000 kilometers, was transported from Beijing to Vienna. The material will be displayed permanently at the UN building as a symbol of international cooperation.
The sample was collected during China’s Chang’e-6 mission in 2024. The mission was the first to land on the Moon’s far side, collect soil and rock samples, and return them to Earth.
The mission collected a total of 1,935.3 grams of material from the South Pole-Aitken Basin, one of the Moon’s largest and oldest impact craters. The area is considered one of the largest impact craters in the Solar System.
The ceremony in Vienna was held under the theme “From lunar soil to common ground: A shared future for all.” More than 400 guests attended, including diplomats, heads of international organizations and representatives of various countries.
Shan Zhongde, head of the China National Space Administration, said exploring the universe was a shared aspiration of humanity and that Chang’e belonged to all humankind. He described the presentation of the sample as a demonstration of China’s commitment to broadly sharing the results of space exploration and to multilateralism.
Aarti Holla-Maini, director of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs, also welcomed the presentation. She said the initiative underscored the importance of outer space as a shared domain for all humanity.
Research published in the journal Nature Geoscience has shown that the Chang’e-6 samples could help scientists study how Earth’s magnetosphere affects the solar wind’s impact on the Moon’s two hemispheres. The material to be kept in Vienna is expected to open the way for new discoveries through future research.
The Chang’e-6 mission also drew attention for its international cooperation. Scientific instruments from France, Italy, Sweden and Pakistan participated in the mission. Pakistan’s ICUBE-Q satellite was deployed into lunar orbit during the mission.
China plans to carry out a crewed lunar landing by 2030. The sample to be displayed in Vienna is regarded as evidence of the country’s technological achievement in reaching the Moon’s far side and its future space ambitions.
