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A Chinese spacecraft is on its way back to Earth after becoming the first ever probe to collect samples from the far side of the moon.
The Chang’e-6 lifted off just after 12.30am UK time on Tuesday to begin its journey home, according to the China National Space Administration.
Officials said it had been successful in collecting rocks and soil – by using a drill and robotic arm to dig below the lunar surface.
After completing the task, the probe unveiled a Chinese flag.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Mission accomplished!
“An unprecedented feat in human lunar exploration history!”
The spacecraft was launched last month and touched down on Sunday.
Its re-entry capsule is due to land in the deserts of China’s Inner Mongolia region on 25 June.
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Missions to the moon’s far side, which permanently faces away from the Earth, are more difficult because a relay satellite is required to maintain communications.
The surface is also more rugged, with fewer flat areas to land.
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From Sunday: China lands craft on lunar surface
China’s Xinhua News Agency said the landing site was the South Pole-Aitken Basin – an impact crater eight miles deep and 1,500 miles wide – which is thought to have been created more than four billion years ago.
It is the oldest and largest such…
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