![Chinese spacecraft lands on far side of moon](https://assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/06/02/394775eb-aa0e-4721-926f-2d99b1eacea0/thumbnail/1200x630/1c7d6b19b96f71b364bcf6350bef59ad/ap24124132148525.jpg?v=d7bbca61a2ddd34e0cfc8fb46aec1df3)
Chinese spacecraft lands on far side of moon
CBSN
Just hours after NASA was forced to scrap the Florida launch of the Boeing Starliner for the second time, a Chinese spacecraft landed on the far side of the moon Sunday to collect soil and rock samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side.
The landing module touched down at 6:23 a.m. Beijing time in a huge crater known as the South Pole-Aitken Basin, the China National Space Administration said.
The mission is the sixth in the Chang'e moon exploration program, which is named after a Chinese moon goddess. It is the second designed to bring back samples, following the Chang'e 5, which did so from the near side in 2020.
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