AGI – The ascending form of a Chinese lunar probe successfully blasted off from the Moon’s surface carrying soil samples. This was reported by Chinese state media. “The ascendancy of the Chinese probe Chang’E-6 took off from the lunar surface this morning, carrying samples collected from the far side of the moon, an unprecedented feat in the history of human lunar exploration,” Xinhua said, citing the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
The analysis of the recovered samples will allow scientists “to further research the formation and evolutionary history of the Moon,” Xinhua news agency quoted Chang’e-6 mission spokesman Ge Ping as saying. It will also offer insights “into the origin of the solar system, laying a more solid foundation for subsequent exploration missions,” he added.
The Chang’e-6 module landed on Sunday in the immense South Pole-Aitken basin on the Moon, one of the largest known impact craters in the solar system. The probe’s mission began on May 3 and the Chang’e-6 used two sample collection methods: a drill to take material below the surface and a robotic arm to grab samples above. After successfully collecting the samples, “a Chinese national flag carried by the lander was unfurled on the far side of the Moon for the first time,” the Chinese space agency said.
