- China is launching the Chang’e-6 probe to collect samples from the far side of the moon.
- The probe lifted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center at 5.37 a.m. ET.
- The mission forms part of China’s plans to put humans on the moon by 2030.
China on Friday launched a probe to collect samples from the far side of the moon, as it stepped up its space race against the US.
The Chang’e-6 probe successfully lifted off from China’s Wenchang Space Launch Center at 5.37 a.m. ET.
The mission, which is expected to last 53 days, will collect two kilograms of lunar samples from the dark side of the moon for analysis.
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If successful, it would be a major demonstration of the nation’s spacefaring prowess, as no other country has brought samples back from the far side of the moon.
The mission is named Chang’e-6 (pronounced Changa) after the Chinese moon goddess.
China is hoping Chang’e-6 can retrieve samples from the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the lunar far side. According to NASA, this is one of the largest and oldest impact features in the solar system.
As Business Insider previously reported, the US and China have aggressive programs to return to the moon. The lunar surface is a strategic target for many nations vying to expand their people’s reach beyond Earth.
China aims to bring humans to the moon by the end of 2030. NASA recently announced it was delaying its own mission to put boots back on the moon, but still aims to get there before China with a predicted launch date in 2026.
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