The return capsule of China’s Chang’e 6 mission has been transported to Beijing and access to its valuable cargo has been made available. The returning capsule took a fiery plunge into the atmosphere on June 25 before landing in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia. This event marked the successful completion of the 53-day Chang’e 6 mission, which delivered the first samples of the far side of the Moon to Earth.

The capsule was flown to Beijing early Wednesday, June 26, to the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), which developed the spacecraft. A ceremony was held in which researchers opened the return capsule and checked key technical indicators, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

The sample container, containing up to 2 kilograms of lunar material, was secured for the next leg of its journey. The samples will be transferred to specially designed facilities for storage, analysis and distribution for research purposes.

Like the samples collected from the nearside of the Chang’e 5 moon in 2020, the materials will be sequenced and then made available for research applications from scientists and institutions in China. These materials will probably be made available to international groups and researchers within two years. Late last year, NASA-funded researchers received special permission to apply for access to lunar samples.