China launches first probe to collect samples from far side of Moon
The Peninsula
Wenchang, China: China launched a probe on Friday to collect samples from the far side of the Moon, a world first as Beijing pushes ahead with an ambi...
Wenchang, China: China launched a probe on Friday to collect samples from the far side of the Moon, a world first as Beijing pushes ahead with an ambitious programme that aims to send a crewed lunar mission by 2030.
A rocket carrying the Chang'e-6 lunar probe blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in southern China's Hainan province just before 5:30 pm (0930 GMT), AFP journalists near the site said.
Heavy rain engulfed the site just minutes before the launch began, they said, with hundreds of onlookers gathered nearby to witness the latest leap for China's decades-long space programme.
Washington has warned that the programme is being used to mask military objectives and an effort to establish dominance in space.
The Chang'e-6 aims to collect around two kilograms (4 pounds) of lunar samples from the far side of the Moon and bring them back to Earth for analysis.