Chang’e-6 is China’s fourth successful lunar landing and the second on the far side of the Moon. It is also the third lunar landing in 2024 after Japan's in February.
According to the Chinese news agency Xinhua, this is the first time that rock and soil samples would be available from a part of the Moon that is less studied. The Chang'e-6 mission will last for 53 days.
The dark or hidden side of the moon is always invisible from the surface of the earth and cannot be seen. The samples returned to Earth are expected to provide more information about how the Moon formed.
China plans to send a manned spacecraft to the moon by 2030 and establish a lunar base.
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