BEIJING: China’s Chang’e 6 mission has completed the most important part of its lunar adventure as its sample-loaded ascender lifted off from the moon’s far side on Tuesday morning, China Daily reported.

The China National Space Administration initiated the ascent engine of the ascender, a key component of the Chang’e 6 robotic probe, at 7:38 am. Subsequently, it traversed for approximately six minutes before attaining lunar orbit.

The mission has collected lunar samples in the past two days, and they are sealed inside a container on the ascender.

The space administration said the ascender’s return to lunar orbit marked the successful completion of the first sampling and liftoff operations on the moon’s far side by any country.

The Chang’e 6 spacecraft, representing the world’s first attempt to bring samples from the lunar far side back to Earth, was launched by a “Long March 5” heavy-lift carrier rocket on 3rd May from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in Hainan province. It entered lunar orbit on 8th May
.

Source: Emirates News Agency