China lands spacecraft on Moon's far side to collect rocks

China on Saturday (June 1) landed a spacecraft on the far side of the Moonto collect soil and rock samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side. According to theChina National Space Administration (CSNA), the Chang'e-6 craft touched down at 6.23 am local timein a huge crater known as the South Pole-Aitken Basin.

The spacecraft was equipped with an array of tools. The CSNA said that the mission"involves many engineering innovations, high risks and great difficulty.""The payloads carried by the Chang'e-6 lander will work as planned and carry out scientific exploration missions," it added.

A landmark mission for China

A report by the news agency Reuters on Saturday said that this mission was a landmark missionfor China. This missionis China's second on the far side of the moon, a region no other country has reached.

The Chang'e-6 probe launched on May 3 on China's Long March 5 rocket from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on the southern island of Hainan, reaching the lunar vicinity roughly a week later before tightening its orbit in preparation for a landing.

Using a scoop and drill, the lander will aim to collect two kilograms of lunar material and bring it back to Earth, Reuters reported.

The samples will be transferred to a rocket booster atop the lander, which will launch back into space, tag up with another spacecraft in lunar orbit, and return, with a landing in China's Inner Mongolia region expected around June 25.