China has launched a probe to collect samples from the far side of the moon, believed to be the world’s first.
The unmanned rocket carrying the Chang’e 6 probe was launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Center at around 17:27 local time (10:27 BST).
The 53-day mission aims to bring approximately 2 kilograms of lunar samples to Earth for analysis.
Attempt to relaunch from the moon’s surface facing away from Earth.
This is described as the dark side of the moon, not because it is not exposed to sunlight, but because it cannot be seen from Earth.
The crust is thicker, more cratered, and less covered by ancient lava flows than the top side.
Scientists hope this will make it easier to collect material to help understand how the moon formed.
“Chang’e 6 will collect samples from the far side of the moon for the first time,” Geping, deputy director of China’s Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center, told reporters ahead of the launch.
The spacecraft is named after the moon goddess, one of the most popular figures in Chinese mythology.
It is expected to make a soft landing in Antarctica’s Aitken Basin, a vast depression 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles) wide and up to 8 kilometers (5 miles) deep.
The goal is then to collect lunar soil and rocks and conduct experiments using a drill and mechanical arm, the China National Space Administration said.
It plans to use a relay satellite called Queqiao 2 to communicate with Earth.
The launch will be the first of three unmanned moon missions planned by China over the next decade.
Chang’e 7 will search for water at the moon’s south pole, while Chang’e 8 will attempt to establish the technical feasibility of building a planned base known as the International Lunar Research Station.
Friday’s launch marks the latest stage in China’s competing space exploration program with the United States.
Five years ago, China became the first country to land a probe on the far side of the moon.
By 2030, it aims to send the first astronauts to the moon and send probes to collect samples from Mars and Jupiter.
