Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Tuesday congratulated his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and Chinese people on the return of China Lunar probe with samples of rock and soil from the far side of the moon.

“I congratulate my friend Xi Jinping and the Chinese people on the return to Earth of the Chang'e-6 probe after successfully completing its historic mission on the far side of the moon," Sheikh Mohamed wrote on X.

"I wish China ongoing success in furthering our scientific understanding of the solar system and advancing humanity's progress,” wrote Sheikh Mohamed.

A Chinese probe carrying samples from the far side of the Moon returned to Earth on Tuesday, capping a technically complex 53-day mission heralded as a world first.

The landing module of the Chang'e-6 spacecraft touched down at a predetermined site in Inner Mongolia at 2:07 pm (0607 GMT), the China National Space Administration said, hailing the mission a "complete success."

It comes bearing soil and rocks from the side of the Moon facing away from Earth, a poorly understood region that scientists say holds great research promise because its rugged features are less smoothed over by ancient lava flows than the near side.

That means the materials harvested there may help us to better understand how the Moon formed and how it has evolved over time.