The ascender of China’s Chang’e-6 probe lifted off from the lunar surface on June 4, carrying samples collected from the moon’s far side.
The ascender—one of the four major components of the unmanned spacecraft—began its ascent at 7:38 a.m. Beijing Time and flew for about six minutes before reaching lunar orbit, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
The return of the ascender into lunar orbit marked the successful completion of the first sampling and liftoff operation on the moon’s far side by any country, the space administration said.
The ascender carried out unmanned rendezvous and docking with the orbiter-returner combination in lunar orbit, and the samples were transferred to the returner.
The orbiter-returner combination will orbit the moon, awaiting the optimal time to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere, carrying the lunar samples and aiming to touch down at Siziwang Banner in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the CNSA said.
