The rocks were collected during the Chang’e-6 mission and the handover is the first time foreign scientists will have a chance to study them
3-MIN READ3-MINVictoria BelaPublished: 9:00pm, 9 Jun 2026China has given Russia some of the first soil samples collected on the far side of the moon by the Chang’e-6 lunar lander.On June 3, 1.5 grams (0.05 ounces) of lunar soil collected during the mission were handed over to the Planetary Physics Department of the Russian Space Research Institute.
“The transfer of the soil samples took place as part of the development of cooperation in space science and lunar exploration between Russia and China,” the institute said.
“Researchers will study the composition of lunar material. Of particular interest is the search for volatile compounds that may have been preserved in the lunar soil as part of its constituent minerals.”
Identifying these compounds could help understand the history of the moon and guide future efforts to build up self-sustaining settlements on its surface.
The institute said the handover was part of a joint agreement between the two countries to study extraterrestrial matter, including samples from the moon, planets and other bodies in the solar system.
