China displays samples retrieved from moon's far side in Italy

The first-ever samples retrieved from the moon's far side, an iconic feat achieved by China's Chang'e 6 robotic mission, went on display at the 75th International Astronautical Congress, which concluded on Friday in Milan, Italy.

This was the first time that the scientifically valuable lunar substances have been shown outside China since they were brought back to Earth in June, according to the China National Space Administration.

The administration said in a news release on Saturday that the samples attracted many participants to the international conference, including heads of national space agencies and industry representatives.

At a news conference on Tuesday on the sidelines of the congress, officials from the administration said China is open to international cooperation in space science and exploration, sharing latest developments in the studies of the far-side samples.

The Chang'e 6 mission, representing the world's first attempt to bring samples from the far side of the moon, was launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province.

After a series of complex maneuvers, the lander of the Chang'e 6 probe touched down at the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the lunar far side on June 2 and then began to collect surface and underground samples.

The robotic mission successfully concluded on June 25 as a total of 1,935.3 grams of samples from the lunar far side was brought back.

The 75th International Astronautical Congress opened on Monday at the MiCo Convention Center in Milan. The event was attended by more than 10,000 researchers, entrepreneurs, and officials from around the world.

The congress, held annually since 1950, is the largest global event in the aerospace sector. This year's five-day congress was organized by the International Astronautical Federation and hosted by the Italian Association of Aeronautics and Astronautics.