China lunar probe to pick samples from far side of moon

Beijing/Wenchang: China on Friday successfully launched a 53-day-long lunar probe mission to collect samples for the first time from the far side of the Moon and bring them for scientific studies.

The Chang'e-6 mission is tasked with collecting and then returning samples from the moon's far side to Earth -- the first endeavour of its kind in the history of human lunar exploration, China National Space Administration (CNSA) said. The entire mission would last for 53 days.

The far side of the moon is not visible from Earth. An hour after the launch, an official announced that Chang'e-6's launch was "a complete success". The CNSA has announced that scientific instruments from France, Italy and the European Space Agency/Sweden will be on board the lander of the Chang'e-6 mission and a Pakistani payload on the orbiter.