Probe to collect samples from far side of Moon

Wenchang: China launched a probe to collect samples from the far side of the Moon, a world first as Beijing pushes ahead with an ambitious programme that aims to send a crewed lunar mission by 2030.

A rocket carrying the Chang’e-6 lunar probe blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in southern Hainan province just before 5.30pm, journalists near the site said.