China's far-side Moon mission begins journey back

YEREVAN, JUNE 4, ARMENPRESS. China says its lunar probe has successfully taken off from the far side of the moon to begin its journey back to Earth carrying the first-ever samples collected from that region, BBC reports.

State media says a module of the Chang'e-6 craft, named after the moon goddess in Chinese mythology, successfully lifted off about 07:38 on Tuesday (23:38 GMT Monday) to begin the journey back.

The craft had landed on Sunday close to the moon's south pole in a world-first feat celebrated by the international science community, the report adds.

China is the only country to have landed on the far side of the moon, having also done so before in 2019.

The Chinese National Space Administration has called the mission an ''unprecedented feat in human lunar exploration''.

That side of the moon - which always faces away from Earth - is technically challenging to reach due to its rugged terrain and deep craters.

China's mission aims to be the first to bring back rock and soil samples from the region, which scientists say could be very different from rock formations on the moon's near side, BBC adds.

The entire probe is due to return in about three weeks' time to a landing site in Inner Mongolia.