CHINA’S CHANG’E-6 SAMPLE RETURN MISSION LANDS ON MOON’S FARSIDE, June 1, 2024, The Moon, ~8:00 pm ET

China’s Chang’e-6 lunar sample return mission, launched May 3, 2024, will land on the farside of the Moon on June 1, 2024 at about 8:00 pm EDT according to the European Space Agency, which has a payload on the spacecraft (as reported by Space News May 29). That will be June 2 midnight UTC, and June 2 8:00 am June 2 in China.

China returned samples from the nearside of the Moon in 2020 with Chang’e-5. This will be the first sample return mission from the farside.