China Launches Chang’e Space Probe to Collect Samples From Far Side of the Moon

China has launched the first spacecraft to set out on a mission to collect soil and rock samples from the far side of the Moon, as Beijing competes with the United States in a new space race.

A Long March-5 rocket carrying the uncrewed Chang’e-6 lunar probe took off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in the southern province of Hainan Friday evening.

The mission will last about 53 days, with the Chang’e-6 probe expected to spend 48 hours exploring the South Pole-Aitken Basin, a huge crater on the far side of the Moon, and gathering rocks and soil to bring back to Earth.