- the author, Frances Mao
- role, BBC news
China says its lunar probe has successfully lifted off from the far side of the moon to begin its journey back to Earth carrying the first samples collected from that region.
State media said a module of the Chang’e-6 spacecraft, named after the moon goddess in Chinese mythology, successfully lifted off at around 07:38 on Tuesday (23:38 GMT Monday) to begin the return journey. .
The spacecraft landed near the moon’s south pole on Sunday in a world first celebrated by the international science community.
China is the only country to land on the far side of the Moon, having done so previously in 2019.
The China National Space Administration has called the mission “an unprecedented achievement in human lunar exploration.”
That side of the moon — which always faces away from Earth — is technically challenging to reach because of 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 far side of the moon.
State media released video from China’s space agency showing the unmanned robot sticking out a small arm and waving the Chinese flag after collecting the precious samples.
On Tuesday, Chinese state media announced the module’s successful lift-off, citing the CNSA as saying the probe’s adhesive module had “left the lunar surface”.
“The mission has withstood the test of high temperature on the far side of the moon,” the space agency said.
After liftoff, the module entered a “predetermined orbit around the moon.”
The entire probe will return in about three weeks to a landing site in Inner Mongolia.
Scientists in China will be given the first chance to analyze the rocks, and subsequent researchers around the world will also be able to apply for the opportunity.
The probe crashed into a giant crater known as the South Pole-Aitken Basin on Sunday. The crater is one of the largest known in the solar system.
The landing was fraught with danger because it is very difficult to communicate with the spacecraft once they reach the far side of the Moon.
China’s space authorities described the operation as “a lot of engineering innovation, high risks and great difficulties”.
The mission aimed to collect about 2 kg (4.4 lb) of material using a drill and a mechanical arm, according to CNSA.
Experts had previously told the BBC that the potential for new reefs existed.
“Everyone is very excited that we can have a look at these rocks that no one has seen before,” said Professor John Pernet-Fisher, who specializes in lunar geology at the University of Manchester.
He has previously analyzed moon rock brought back on the American Apollo mission and previous Chinese missions.
But he says being able to analyze rocks from a completely different area of the Moon could answer fundamental questions about how planets form.
The South Pole of the Moon is the next frontier in lunar missions – countries are eager to understand the region because there is a good chance that it has ice.
Access to water would greatly increase the chances of successfully establishing a human base on the Moon for scientific research.
This is the second time China has launched a mission to collect samples from the Moon.
In 2020 Chang’e-5 brought back 1.7 kg of material from an area called Oceanus Procellarum on the far side of the Moon.
In 2019, China became the first country to reach the far side with the landing of Chang’e-4.
China is planning three more uncrewed missions this decade as it searches for water on the moon and investigates setting up a permanent base there.
Beijing’s broader strategy aims to see a Chinese astronaut walk on the moon around 2030.
The US also aims to return astronauts to the Moon, with NASA aiming to launch its Artemis-3 mission in 2026.