China has launched a unique spacecraft to the moon's far side on a major mission. This is a historic journey, as no other nation has attempted anything similar before. The Long March-5, China's largest rocket, launched the Chang'e-6 spacecraft. Launching from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in southern China, it blasted off. Chang'e-6 is a big machine, weighing over 8 metric tonnes.

Highlights:

• China launched Chang'e-6 spacecraft, targeting the moon's far side, a historic mission.
• The spacecraft aims to land in the South Pole-Aitken Basin, gathering soil and rocks for study.
• Despite US restrictions, China's rapid progress in space exploration is evident in this mission, which promises valuable insights into the moon's ancient history.

Once it arrives to the far side of the moon, Chang'e-6 has work to accomplish. The South Pole-Aitken Basin is the predicted landing site. Always facing away from Earth is this location. From there, it will gather soil and rocks.

It's a significant launch for China's space programmes. The speed at which China has made progress in space exploration is astounding. French researcher Pierre-Yves Meslin is amazed by China's advancements.

Chang'e-6 is traveling with others. On board are scientific instruments from the European Space Agency, Pakistan, France, and Italy. Surprisingly, nevertheless, this expedition does not include any American instruments. US rules prevent collaboration between the US and China in space.

It will take Chang'e-6 four or five days to get to the moon. Early June is when it will settle there. After that, it will gather samples for two days before returning to Earth. The predicted landing place is Inner Mongolia.

The samples that Chang'e-6 returns with will aid scientists in their understanding of the moon's past. Studying rocks from a region of the moon that is significantly older than what other nations have investigated excites Chinese scientists.