china-launches-lunar-probe-mission-to-far-side-of-moon

China achieved a significant milestone in space exploration on Friday with the launch of the Chang'e-6 mission, aimed at collecting samples from the far side of the moon.

This marks the first time in human history such an endeavor has been undertaken.

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced that the Chang'e-6 mission is designed to collect lunar samples from the moon's far side and return them to Earth for scientific analysis.

🎉Congratulations to the successful moon shot launch of Chang’e 6 lunar probe! Looking forward to collecting humankind’s first-ever lunar soil from the far side of the moon! 🌖 Long March 5 Launch video: https://t.co/Oxx3ZQ1CvC pic.twitter.com/nohTUB6xPc

— CNSA Watcher (@CNSAWatcher) May 3, 2024

The launch took place from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on the coast of Hainan, China, with the lunar probe carried by a Long March-5 Y8 rocket.

The mission comprises four components: an orbiter, a lander, an ascender, and a re-entry module, as reported by the state-run China Daily.

Once on the moon's surface, the ascender will collect dust and rocks, transferring them to the lunar orbiter for transportation back to Earth via the re-entry module.

CNSA highlighted that the Chang'e-6 mission aims to achieve breakthroughs in key technologies, including automatic sample collection and ascent from the moon's far side. Additionally, scientific exploration of the landing zone will be conducted.

The lander of the Chang'e-6 mission will carry scientific instruments from France, Italy, and the European Space Agency/Sweden, while a Pakistani payload will be aboard the orbiter.

China's strides in space exploration include previous unmanned missions to the moon, including successful rover landings, as well as sending a rover to Mars.

China has also announced plans for a manned lunar landing by 2030.