China launches Chang’e 6 sample-return mission to moon’s far side

China is headed back to the moon’s mysterious far side — and this time, the nation will bring back some souvenirs.

The robotic Chang’e 6 mission launched Friday (May 3) at 5:27 a.m. EDT (0927 GMT; 5:27 p.m. Beijing time), riding a Long March 5 rocket off a pad at the Wenchang Space Launch Site, in southern China’s Hainan province.

If all goes according to plan, Chang’e 6 will touch down on the moon’s far side, scoop up some samples and rocket them back to Earth — something that’s never been done before. Indeed, just one mission has ever soft-landed on the lunar far side: Chang’e 4, which put a lander-rover duo down in January 2019.

China’s Chang’e 6 lunar far side mission launches atop a Long March 5 rocket on May 3, 2024. (Image credit: CCTV+)

The moon’s hidden face

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