China's Chang'e-6 mission maps lunar far side, reshapes solar system history

In 2024 China’s Chang'e-6 mission successfully retrieved two kilograms of material from the Moon’s far side, specifically the South‑Pole Aitken basin. Laboratory analysis of the samples showed that asteroid impacts on the Moon declined gradually over billions of years, contradicting the traditional Late Heavy Bombardment hypothesis and suggesting a more stable early Earth environment that could have extended the window for the emergence of life.

Using the new data, Chinese scientists released a 1:5 million‑scale geological map of the Moon, cataloguing over 13,000 impact craters, 81 basins and identifying 14 structural types and 17 rock varieties, including the first detection of gabbronorite in the South‑Pole Aitken basin. The map will guide upcoming missions such as Chang'e‑7 and Chang'e‑8, aimed at exploring lunar polar ice and resource utilization, and underscores China’s growing leadership in planetary science.