A Long March 5 rocket, carrying the Chang'e-6 mission lunar probe, lifts off as it rains at the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in southern China's Hainan Province on May 3, 2024.
China on Friday launched a space probe to collect samples from the far side of the moon in a mission that has been billed as "unprecedented" as the global space race heats up.
An unmanned rocket carrying the Chang'e-6 lunar probe took off from Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province just before 5:30 p.m. local time, kickstarting the 53-day planned mission.
The expedition aims to return around 5 pounds of lunar samples to Earth for analysis.
"Collecting and returning samples from the far side of the moon is an unprecedented feat," Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration program, said, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua News.
Persons:
Wu Weiren, Stephen Whiting
Organizations:
Xinhua News, Scientists, U.S, U.S . Space Command
Locations:
Hainan Province, China, Hainan, Beijing