China’s Spacecraft Takes Off from Moon with First Samples from Lunar Far Side

Beijing, The ascender of China's Chang'e-6 probe lifted off from lunar surface on Tuesday morning, carrying samples collected from the moon's far side, an unprecedented feat in human lunar exploration history. The ascender has entered a preset orbit around the moon, said the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The Chang'e-6 probe, comprising an orbiter, a lander, an ascender and a returner - like its predecessor Chang'e-5 - was launched on May 3. The lander-ascender combination, separated from the orbiter-returner combination on May 30, touched down at the designated landing area in the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin on June 2. The spacecraft finished its intelligent and rapid sampling work, and the samples were stowed in a container inside the ascender of the probe as planned, the CNSA said. During sampling and packaging, researchers conducted simulated sampling in a ground lab, based on the detection data sent back by the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, providing important support for decision-making and operations in every link. "The mission has withstood the test of high temperature on the far side of the moon," the CNSA said. It adopted two methods of moon sampling, including using a drill to collect subsurface samples and grabbing samples on the surface with a robotic arm. It automatically gathered diverse samples at different sites. Compared with Chang'e-5, Chang'e-6 has seen improvements in the autonomy and reliability of its navigation, guidance and control system, in order to tackle the challenges posed by the uncertainties of the moon's far side during its takeoff and ascent, said a space expert from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), Qiao Dezhi. Source: Qatar News Agency