China’s Chang’e-6 Probe Reaches Spaceport for Unprecedented Lunar Far Side Sampling Mission

JUST IN: China’s Chang’e-6 probe has arrived at Wenchang spaceport for the first-ever lunar far side sample mission in human history. Various components of China’s Chang’e-6 lunar far side sample return mission spacecraft have arrived at Wenchang spaceport Wednesday Jan 10. The delivery is part of preparations to launch a stack of four spacecraft to land on the far side of the moon, collect samples and deliver them to Earth. The 8,200-kilogram probe will launch on a Long March 5 rocket around May this year. The various parts of spacecraft were delivered to Hainan island aboard Antonov An-124 and Xi’an Y-20 transport planes, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced Jan. 10. These were then transferred to Wenchang Satellite Launch Center. Assembly and testing will begin in the near future. CNSA stated the mission will launch within the first half of 2024. Earlier indications suggest the Chang’e-6 will launch around May. Chang’e-6 is a follow up to the 2020 Chang’e-5 mission which collected 1,731 grams of lunar material from Oceanus Procellarum on the near side of the moon. #chinaspace #Change6 #moonmission