Photo: China News Service

China has formally donated lunar soil samples collected by Chang'e-6 — the first-ever samples from the far side of the Moon — to the United Nations. The samples were unveiled at UN Office in Vienna on Monday local time and will remain on permanent display there, media reported.

China National Space Administration (CNSA) Administrator Shan Zhongde, together with UN Office at Vienna Director-General Ghada Waly, UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) Director Aarti Holla-Maini and Chinese Ambassador to the UN and other international organizations in Vienna Li Song, unveiled the lunar soil sample, which will be put on permanent display at the UN Office in Vienna, according to China News Service. 

Shan said that exploring the universe is a shared dream of humanity and that Chang'e belongs to all humankind. He said China's donation of lunar samples from the far side of the moon demonstrates its commitment to multilateralism and support for the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. China is willing to share the achievements of its space program with other countries and promote the peaceful exploration of outer space, he said.

Waly said the donation reflects humanity's technological creativity and determination to explore. Holla-Maini said it underscores the significance of outer space as a common domain for all humanity and expressed hope for further progress in global governance of outer space, according to China News Service.

This photo taken on Sept. 14, 2026 shows a lunar sample collected from the far side of the Moon by China's Chang'e-6 mission, in Vienna, Austria. China on Monday formally presented a lunar sample collected from the far side of the Moon by its Chang'e-6 mission to the United Nations (UN) in Vienna, where the sample will be permanently exhibited. (Xinhua/He Canling)

Carried more than 380,000 km from the Moon to Earth and then to the heart of international diplomacy, the sample is more than a fragment of lunar soil and rock. It has become a symbol of scientific achievement, international cooperation and humanity's shared future in space.

In 2024, China's Chang'e-6 lunar exploration mission successfully collected 1,935.3 grams of samples from the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin on the far side of the Moon, marking the first time in human history that samples had been retrieved from the lunar far side.

The achievement opened a new chapter in lunar science, offering scientists an unprecedented opportunity to study material from a region that has long remained beyond direct view from Earth, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Global Times 

A man takes photo of a lunar sample collected from the far side of the Moon by China's Chang'e-6 mission, in Vienna, Austria, Sept. 14, 2026. China on Monday formally presented a lunar sample collected from the far side of the Moon by its Chang'e-6 mission to the United Nations (UN) in Vienna, where the sample will be permanently exhibited. (Xinhua/He Canling)