spacetoday.net: Chang'e-6 lands on lunar farside

Posted: Mon, Jun 3, 2024, 11:53 AM ET (1553 GMT)
China's Chang'e-6 spacecraft successfully landed on the far side of the moon Saturday to collect samples to return to Earth. The Chang’e-6 lander made a soft landing at 6:23 pm EDT (2223 GMT) Saturday, according to the China National Space Administration, touching down within Apollo Crater, located in the South Pole Aitken Basin on the lunar farside. The lander is designed to collect up to two kilograms of samples and place them in a capsule to be launched back into lunar orbit, where the Chang'e-6 orbiter will capture it to return to Earth later this month. The mission is China’s fourth successful lunar landing in four attempts, and the second on the far side of the moon. It is also the third spacecraft to land on the moon this year after Japan's SLIM and Intuitive Machines' IM-1 missions.