- Author, Frances Mao
- Role, BBC news
China says its lunar probe has successfully lifted off from the far side of the moon to begin its journey back to Earth with the first ever samples collected from that area.
State media said a module of the Chang’e-6 craft, named after the moon goddess in Chinese mythology, successfully took off at around 7:38 a.m. (23:38 GMT Monday) on Tuesday to begin the return journey.
The spacecraft landed close to the moon’s south pole on Sunday, a world first that was celebrated by the international scientific community.
China is the only country to have landed on the far side of the moon, having previously done so in 2019.
China’s National Space Administration has called the mission an “unprecedented achievement in human lunar exploration.”
That side of the moon – which always faces away from Earth – is technically challenging to reach because of its rugged terrain and deep craters.
The Chinese mission aims to be the first to bring back rock and soil samples from the region, which scientists say could be very different from the rock formations on the moon’s near side.
State media published videos from China’s space agency showing the unmanned robotic craft extending an arm and waving the Chinese flag after collecting the precious samples.
On Tuesday, Chinese state media announced the module’s successful launch, quoting the CNSA as saying the probe’s ascent module had “lifted off from the lunar surface.”
“The mission passed the test of high temperatures on the far side of the moon,” the space agency said.
After takeoff, the module then entered a “preset orbit around the moon.”
The entire probe will return to a landing site in Inner Mongolia in about three weeks.
Scientists in China will have the first chance to analyze the rocks, and later researchers around the world will also be able to take up the opportunity.
The probe landed Sunday in a giant crater known as the South Pole-Aitken Basin. The crater is one of the largest known in the solar system.
The landing was fraught with risks, as it is very difficult to communicate with spacecraft once they reach the far side of the moon.
Chinese space authorities describe the operation as “many technical innovations, high risks and great difficulties.”
According to the CNSA, the mission was intended to collect approximately 2 kg of material using a drill and a mechanical arm.
Experts had previously told the BBC that there was potential for new stones.
“Everyone is very excited that we can look at these rocks that no one has ever seen before,” says Professor John Pernet-Fisher, who specializes in lunar geology at the University of Manchester.
He has previously analyzed moon rocks brought back by the US Apollo mission and previous Chinese missions.
But he says the chance to analyze rocks from a completely different part of the moon could answer fundamental questions about planet formation.
The moon’s south pole is the next frontier for lunar missions; countries are keen to understand the region because there is a good chance that there is ice.
Access to water would greatly increase the chances of successfully establishing a human base on the moon for scientific research.
This is the second time China has launched a mission to collect samples from the moon.
In 2020, Chang’e-5 brought back 1.7 kg of material from a region called Oceanus Procellarum on the near side of the moon.
In 2019, China became the first country to reach the other side with the landing of its Chang’e-4.
China plans three more unmanned missions this decade as it searches for water on the moon and explores setting up a permanent base there.
Beijing’s broader strategy aims to see a Chinese astronaut walk on the moon by 2030.
The US also wants to put astronauts back on the moon, with NASA aiming to launch its Artemis-3 mission in 2026.