China probe successfully lands on far side of Moon to collect lunar samples

BEIJING – China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe HAS successfully landed on the far side of the Moon to collect samples, state news agency Xinhua reports — the latest leap for Beijing’s decades-old space program.

The Chang’e-6 set down in the immense South Pole-Aitken Basin, one of the largest known impact craters in the solar system, Xinhua says, citing the China National Space Administration.

Moments in control center of Chang'e 6 landing on the far side of the moon. Camera videos coming in soon. Full HD:https://t.co/eJWrRH9trj pic.twitter.com/SDEUaVyeY2

— CNSA Watcher (@CNSAWatcher) June 1, 2024

It marks the first time that samples will be collected from the rarely explored area of the Moon, according to the agency.

The Chang’e-6 is on a technically complex 53-day mission that began on May 3.

Now that the probe has landed, it will attempt to scoop up lunar soil and rocks, and carry out other experiments in the landing zone.

That process should be complete within two days, Xinhua says. The probe will use two methods of collection: a drill to collect samples under the surface and a robotic arm to grab specimens from the surface.

Then it must attempt an unprecedented launch from the side of the Moon that always faces away from Earth.

Scientists say the Moon’s dark side — so-called because it is invisible from Earth, not because it never catches the sun’s rays — holds great promise for research because its craters are less covered by ancient lava flows than the near side.

Material collected from the dark side may better shed light on how the Moon formed in the first place.