China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe departed from the far side of the moon on Tuesday, moving a step closer to completing an ambitious mission that underlines the country’s rise as a space superpower.

The Chang'e 6 lander, which collected the first-ever samples on the moon's far side, apparently switched off after that material was launched off the lunar surface.

It’s moon lander, Chang'e 6, used a robotic scoop and drill to collect approximately 5 pounds (2 kilograms) of rocks and soil. These samples came back to Earth on June 25, 2024.

More information has come to light regarding the hitchhiking mini-rover on China's Chang'e 6 sample-return mission to the moon's far side. Skip to main content. Open menu Close menu ...

China's Chang'e-6 mission landed on the moon’s South Pole-Aitken Basin, according to the China National Space Administration ...

Chang'e 1 and Chang'e 2 sent orbiters to the moon in 2007 and 2010, respectively. Chang'e 3 marked China's first trip to the lunar surface, putting a lander-rover duo on the near side in late 2013.

China's Chang'e-6 lunar module has returned to Earth after two months in space on the "dark" side of the moon. The spacecraft, which launched on May 3, 2024, has achieved a significant milestone ...

Its moon lander, Chang'e 6, used a robotic scoop and drill to collect approximately 5 pounds (2 kilograms) of rocks and soil. These samples came back to Earth on June 25.

More information has come to light regarding the hitchhiking mini-rover on China's Chang'e 6 sample-return mission to the moon's far side.

In a historic first, the Chang’e 6 sample-return mission earlier this year brought 4.27 pounds (1.935 kilograms) of soil and rock samples back from the Moon’s farside.

A large screen shows news video of a Chinese national flag carried by the Chang'e-6 lunar probe's lander on the far side of the moon, in Beijing, China, June 4, 2024. Tingshu Wang/REUTERS ...

However, more recent data, including by China’s Chang’e expeditions, suggest that there are younger rocks on the Moon’s surface, just under 2 billion years old. Moon goddess China’s Chang’e 5 lunar ...