BEIJING –
A Chinese spacecraft has landed on the moon’s far side to collect rocks in a growing space rivalry with U.S.
The official Xinhua News Agency said the landing module touched down Sunday morning Beijing time.
The mission is the sixth in the Chang’e moon exploration program, which is named after a Chinese moon goddess. It will be the second to bring back samples, following the Chang’e 5, which did so from the near side in 2020.
The lander will use a mechanical arm and a drill to gather up to 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of surface and underground material to send back in a capsule that is currently orbiting the moon.