China's Chang'e-6 mission team wins IAF World Space Award

China's Chang'e-6 mission team has received the esteemed 2025 International Astronautical Federation (IAF) World Space Award in the team category. The award was presented on September 29th in Sydney, Australia, during the opening day of the week-long International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2025) organized by the IAF.

Hu Hao, chief designer of the Chang'e-6 mission, and Guan Feng, director of the Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), stepped onto the stage to accept the honor on behalf of the team. 

The Chang'e-6 lunar probe was launched aboard a Long March-5 Y8 carrier rocket on May 3, 2024, from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on China's southern island province of Hainan. On June 25, 2024, the return module safely landed back on Earth, bringing with it 1,935.3 grams of lunar samples collected from the far side of the moon. This achievement marked the first-ever successful far-side lunar sampling mission in human history.

The IAF World Space Award is the highest honor given by the International Astronautical Federation in the field of aerospace, often called the "Oscar in Space." It is awarded to individuals and teams who have made exceptional contributions to global space science, technology, engineering, or management.

(By CGTN's Wu Lei, Chen Yilin, Li Siqi, Lu Lidan)