By Eduardo Baptista and Liz Lee
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s Chang’e-6 probe has lifted off from the far side of the moon and will begin its journey back to Earth, China’s national space agency said on Tuesday.
The probe’s successful departure from the moon means China is closer to becoming the first country to return samples from the far side of the moon, which is permanently turned away from Earth.
The probe, which departed the moon at 7:38 a.m. local time (2338 GMT), successfully completed its sample collection from June 2 to 3.
China’s National Space Administration (CNSA) said in a statement that Chang’e-6 “has passed the test of high temperatures on the far side of the moon.”
Compared to its predecessor Chang’e-5, which retrieved samples from the near side of the moon, Chang’e-6 faced an additional technical challenge because it had to operate without direct communication with ground stations on Earth, according to CNSA.
Instead, the probe relied on the Queqiao-2 relay satellite for communications, which was launched into orbit in April.
According to state news agency Xinhua, the probe used a drill and a robotic arm to excavate soil on and beneath the moon’s surface.
Chang’e-6 showed the Chinese national flag on the far side of the moon for the first time after samples were collected, Beijing Daily reported.
The probe is now in lunar orbit and will join another spacecraft in orbit, CNSA said Tuesday morning.
The samples will then be transferred to a return module, which will fly back to Earth, with a landing in China’s Inner Mongolia region expected around June 25.
The return of the lunar samples to Earth is being monitored by scientists around the world, who hope that soil collected by Chang’e-6 can help answer questions about the origins of the solar system.
(Reporting by Eduardo Baptista, Liz Lee, Ryan Woo and Shanghai newsroom; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Gerry Doyle)
