On Friday, China launched a lunar probe to land on the far side of the moon and return with samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side.
It is the latest advance in the increasingly sophisticated space exploration program of China. The country is now competing with the USA, still the leader in space. Also, China has a three-member crew on its orbiting space station and aims to put astronauts on the Earth’s natural satellite (Moon) by 2030.
On Wednesday, China had announced that it will launch its lunar probe Chang’e-6 on Friday to collect samples from the far side of the moon. In its announcement, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) had said that the probe is set to collect samples from the far side of the moon, making this mission the first of its kind in human history.
Preparations for the mission were going on at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in south China’s Hainan Province. “The Long March-5 Y8 carrier rocket will soon be refuelled with propellant,” the CNSA had said.
China is a major space power. In the past, the country had successfully launched unmanned missions to the Moon which included landing a rover. Also, China has sent a rover to Mars.