China says its lunar probe has successfully lifted off from the far side of the moon and begun its return journey to Earth with the first samples collected from the region.
State media said the collection module of the Chang’e-6 spacecraft lifted off at around 7:38am on Tuesday (23:38 GMT) and began its return journey.
Last Sunday, a robot landed in a massive crater close to the moon’s south pole in a world-first feat celebrated by the international scientific community.
China is the only country to have landed on the far side of the moon before 2019.
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) described the mission’s landing and liftoff as “an unprecedented feat in human lunar exploration.”
The far side, or “dark” side, of the Moon, which faces the other side of the Earth, is technically difficult to reach due to distance, massive, deep craters, and difficult terrain with few flat surfaces.
Space officials had to use satellites to direct and maintain communications with the Chang’e-6 spacecraft.
China aims to become the first country to bring back rock and soil samples from the far side of the moon, which scientists say could be very different from rock layers on the far side of the moon.
State media released a video from China’s space agency showing the Chang’e 6 spacecraft with its tiny arms outstretched and waving a Chinese flag after collecting precious samples.
This is China’s sixth lunar mission, named after Chang’e, the moon goddess in Chinese mythology.
Successful mission so far
CNSA released sampling conclusions on Tuesday, saying the spacecraft “survived high-temperature testing on the far side of the Moon” and has now begun its return.
Its ascent module successfully “lifted off from the lunar surface” on Tuesday, carrying samples in a metal vacuum canister.
After liftoff, the module entered a “preset orbit around the Moon.” The container will be transferred to a set of re-entry capsules for return to Earth and is scheduled to land in the Inner Mongolian desert around June 25.
Chang’e 6 collected rocks and soil for two days. Approximately 2 kg (4.4 lb) of material was collected using a mechanical arm and drill.
The probe is based in the South Pole-Aitken Basin, a massive crater on the far side of the moon that is one of the largest known craters in the solar system.
Because it would be very difficult to communicate with a spacecraft once it reached the far side of the moon, piloting a spacecraft there was fraught with risk.
Chinese space authorities described the operation as involving “many engineering innovations, high risks, and great challenges.”
Scientists are excited about samples from potentially the moon’s oldest rocks.
People in China will be given the first opportunity to analyze the rocks, and researchers from around the world will then be able to apply for this opportunity.
Professor John Pernet-Fisher, an expert in lunar geology at the University of Manchester, told the BBC last week: “Everyone is very excited that we are going to see this rock that no one has ever seen before.”
He said the opportunity to analyze rocks from completely different regions of the moon could answer fundamental questions about how planets form.
The Moon’s South Pole is the next frontier in lunar exploration. Countries want to understand this area because it is likely to have ice.
Access to water would greatly increase the chances of successfully establishing a human base on the Moon for scientific research.
This is China’s second mission to collect samples from the moon, but the first to retrieve samples from the far side.
In 2020, the Chang’e-5 spacecraft brought back 1.7 kg of material from a region near the moon called Oceanus Procellarum.
And the year before, China landed the Chang’e 4 spacecraft, becoming the first country to reach the far side of the moon.
China is planning three more unmanned missions this decade as it investigates finding water on the moon and building a permanent base there. The country already has its own space station, known as Tiangong or Heavenly Palace.
Beijing’s broader strategy aims to see Chinese astronauts walking on the lunar surface around 2030.
The United States also aims to send astronauts back to the moon, and NASA aims to launch its Artemis 3 mission in 2026.