Planetary Society logo
  • “Exploration is in our nature.” - Carl Sagan

The coolest new space pictures: June 2024

From beginning to end, June was marked by the success of China’s Chang’e-6 mission to the far side of the Moon. On June 1st, Chang’e-6 rang in the month with the second-ever soft-landing on that part of the Moon, touching down inside an impact crater within the larger South Pole-Aitken Basin. There, the lander drilled down into the lunar soil, used a robotic arm to collect material, then transferred the sample to an ascent vehicle. 

Chang'e-6 on the lunar farside
Chang'e-6 on the lunar farside This image of China’s Chang'e-6 spacecraft was taken by a small rover that detached from the spacecraft shortly after its June 1 landing on the lunar farside. The lander collected samples of rock and regolith, loaded them into an ascent vehicle, and launched them into orbit for collection and return to Earth.Image: CNSA/CLEP

That rocket took off from the Moon two days later and went on to dock with the Chang’e-6 service module in orbit. On June 6, the sample was transferred again into a re-entry capsule. The service module made its way back to Earth, and on June 25, safely brought back the first-ever samples from the far side of the Moon. 

Chang'e-6 landing site
Chang'e-6 landing site The view from the Chang'e-6 lander from where it touched down in the Moon's South Pole-Aitken Basin.Image: CNSA/CLEP
Lunar far side from Chang'e-6
Lunar far side from Chang'e-6 An image of the far side of the Moon taken by the Chang'e-6 lander shortly before it touched down in the South Pole-Aitken Basin.Image: CNSA/CLEP
Chang'e-6 from LRO
Chang'e-6 from LRO A bird's eye view of China's Chang'e-6 lander on the far side of the Moon. Image captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), spanning 0.65 kilometers (0.4 miles) on each side.Image: NASA / Goddard / Arizona State University

Some of the other images that caught our attention this month:

Bright Angel from Perseverance
Bright Angel from Perseverance NASA's Perseverance rover took this image as it traveled up a dried-up river channel on Mars called Neretva Vallis. The area to the right of the image is nicknamed "Bright Angel" for its light tones.Image: NASA / JPL-Caltech
Olympus Mons frost from above
Olympus Mons frost from above This birds-eye view of Olympus Mons on Mars highlights the presence of frost at the top of the mountain (shown in blue). Image by ESA's Mars Express orbiter.Image: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin
Frost on Olympus Mons
Frost on Olympus Mons This zoomed-in view of the crater atop Olympus Mons on Mars, taken by the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, shows the presence of frost in blue. The image was taken in the infrared and is not the same as what would be seen with the naked eye.Image: ESA/TGO/CaSSIS
The world's first wooden satellite
The world's first wooden satellite This wooden satellite was built by researchers at Kyoto University in collaboration with logging company Sumitomo Forestry. The tiny satellite, named LignoSat, is made from magnolia wood and will be launched to the International Space Station in September 2024. From there, LignoSat will be released to test its strength and durability. The benefit of wooden construction is that the material will burn up completely when the device re-enters the atmosphere, potentially providing a way to avoid generating metal particles when a retired satellite returns to Earth.Image: STR / JIJI PRESS / AFP
Starliner liftoff
Starliner liftoff Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft lifts off for its inaugural Crew Flight Test atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket .Image: NASA/Joel Kowsky