June 4 (UPI) – China’s space agency said its Chang-e 6 mission lifted off from the far side of the Moon on Tuesday, as it begins its journey carrying lunar samples and rocks back to Earth.
The probe’s ascender lifted off from the Moon’s surface at 7:38 a.m. Beijing time, according to the China National Space Administration, which said in an affirmation which about six minutes later its engines successfully placed the ascender into its predetermined lunar orbit.
The probe consists of an orbiter, a lander, an ascender and a returner and was launched into space in early May, reaching the furthest point from the lunar surface on Sunday.
Over the past two days, it has collected samples from a crater known as the Pole-Aitken basin on the far side of the moon. She also captured and transported images back to Earth, some of which the CNSA published online.
CNSA said the samples were sealed in a storage device carried by the ascending vehicle.
“Smart sampling is one of the key components of the Chang’e 6 mission,” CNSA said in the statement.
During its time on the Moon, the probe withstood “high temperatures” and used a drilling tool and a mechanical arm to collect lunar samples, it said.
The probe sought to collect some of the oldest known rocks at the Moon’s south pole, which Chinese scientists he said they hope to shed light on how planets form.
