The Chinese Chang'e 6 probe took off from the surface of the moon today, bringing samples from the far side – Science

China's New China News Agency (Xinhua), citing the official Chinese News Agency (Xinhua), said that the Chinese probe “Chang'e-6” was launched from the surface of the moon this morning carrying samples collected from the far side of the moon. An unprecedented achievement in the history of human exploration of the moon.” Space management.

The Chang'e 6 spacecraft, which was launched in early May from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on the tropical island of Hainan in southern China, landed as planned in the massive Aitken Basin at the moon's south pole, one of the largest known solar craters in the world. China Space Administration.

This mission is the sixth in China's Chang'e Moon exploration program, named after the Chinese moon goddess, and will be the second to return samples from the moon to Earth, after the first time on the near side of the celestial body in 2020. .

In the new mission, the module will use a mechanical arm and a drill to collect up to two kilograms of surface and subterranean material, to be sent back to Earth in a capsule currently orbiting the moon.

A projectile at the top of the module will carry the samples to the orbiting spacecraft in a metal vacuum container, which will be transferred to the re-entry capsule.

The capsule is expected to return to Earth and land in the deserts of the Inner Mongolia region, northern China, around June 25.

Missions to the far side of the Moon are more difficult because they require a satellite to maintain communications.

China's recent space achievements include exploring Mars and building the Tiangong Space Station, where it sends crews on a regular basis.

China's ambition in space continues to grow, with Tiangong potentially becoming the only operational space station, after the International Space Station retires, as planned, in 2031.

The lunar program is part of a growing competition with the United States and other countries, including Japan and India, for space exploration.

China aims to send a human to the moon before 2030, making it the second country to do so after the United States.

The US space agency NASA plans to send astronauts to the moon again, for the first time in more than 50 years, although it postponed this goal earlier this year to 2026.