Space
Chinese Spacecraft Makes Historic Landing on Far Side of Moon
- Mission is first attempt to take material from area to Earth
- Region near lunar south pole may have ice to make oxygen, fuel
China's Chang'e-6 lunar mission rocket prepares to lift off from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in south China's Hainan province on May 3.
Photographer: Liu Huaiyu/Feature China/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
A Chinese spacecraft landed on the far side of the moon, boosting the nation’s efforts to compete with the US in a race to send people back to the lunar surface for the first time in more than half a century.
The China National Space Administration announced that Chang’e-6 “successfully landed at the designated landing area,” the Xinhua News Agency reported Sunday.