The far side of the moon was once a vast magma ocean, Chinese lunar lander confirms

Recent findings from samples collected by China's Chang'e 6 mission have provided valuable insights into the history of the moon, particularly its far side.

The Chang'e 6 mission launched in early May 2024, landed in the vast South Pole-Aitken (SPA), and returned to Earth with 4 pounds and 4.29 ounces (1,935.3 grams) of the first-ever samples from the moon's far side in late June.

New research from scientists with the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences and published in the journal Science found that sample analysis backs up an established model of the moon as a global liquid magma ocean in the early days after its formation and likely lasted for tens to hundreds of millions of years.

By analyzing basalt fragments retrieved from this region, the scientists discovered that these rocks share a similar composition to low-titanium basalts previously collected by NASA's Apollo missions to the moon's near side. This connection helps to build a more complete picture of the moon's volcanic processes.

At the same time, some of the material in the Chang'e 6 samples deviated from those of the Apollo missions in terms of the ratio of certain Uranium and Lead isotopes. Explaining this, the paper proposes that the gigantic impact which formed the roughly 1,600 mile (2,500 kilometers) wide SPA basin around 4.2 billion years ago modified the chemical and physical properties of the moon's mantle in this region.

Chang'e 6 was China's second lunar sample return mission, following on from the 2020 Chang'e 5 mission to the moon's near side. Initial analysis of the Chang'e 6 samples suggests a number of differences to nearside samples, including differences in density, structure and concentrations of signature chemicals.

Further analysis could lead to new concepts and theories regarding the origin and evolution of the moon, according to scientists.