China unfurls its second flag on the Moon before Chang’e-6 spacecraft starts its journey back to Earth carrying the first rocky samples from the lunar surface’s far side

China’s Chang’e-6 has unfurled the first flag on the dark side of the moon before beginning its return journey to Earth.

Before leaving, the rover also collected the very first samples of rock and soil from the side of the moon that always faces away from us.

The riser lifted off at 00:38 BST on Tuesday and transferred the samples to a return vessel that should land in the deserts of Inner Mongolia around June 25.

Their successful return would not only represent a quantum leap for China’s space program, but could also reveal the secrets of the moon’s ancient history.

Because the moon has an ‘Earth-centered’ orbit, its ‘dark’ side always faces away from Earth, making it an extremely challenging place to land spacecraft.

This is the second time a Chinese flag has been flown on the moon, and it is the eighth flag to be flown along the moon, joining six American flags placed by the Apollo missions. However, unlike the flags deployed during the Apollo missions, Chang’e 6’s small flag appeared on a retractable arm deployed from the side of the lunar lander and not placed on the lunar ground, according to an animation by the mission released by the agency.

A Chinese lunar rover has raised the first national flag on the dark side of the moon before returning to Earth with samples of lunar material

Chang’e 6 left Earth aboard a Long March 5 rocket on May 3, 2024 and began its descent to the moon’s surface on Sunday.

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) said in a statement that Chang’e-6 “passed the test of high temperatures on the far side of the moon.”

This mission was particularly challenging because the lander could not rely on direct communication with Earth while on the far side of the moon.

To stay in contact with the spacecraft, CNSA used Queqiao-2, a 1,200 kg relay satellite that was launched into orbit in March to bounce signals back to Earth.

The lander touched down in the South Pole-Aitken Basin, an 8-mile-deep impact crater believed to have formed more than 14 billion years ago.

As one of the oldest impact craters on the moon’s surface, rock samples collected here can provide scientists with valuable information about the moon’s early formation.

The Chang’e 6 lander has now lifted off from the moon aboard its ascent instrument (pictured) and transferred the samples to a return capsule that will land on Earth around June 25.

Chang’e-6 landed on the far side of the moon at 6:23 a.m. Beijing time on Sunday, June 2

Chang’e drilled into the lunar surface (pictured) to extract up to 2 kg of lunar material from the South Pole-Aitken Basin, an impact crater that formed more than 4 billion years ago

Chang’e 6 has the ability to drill 2 meters into the lunar surface and can retain up to 2 kg of lunar material to return to Earth.

In addition to its scientific importance, the mission is also a symbolic step forward for China’s ambitious national space program.

Before taking off, the rover raised a Chinese flag, the second Chinese flag to fly on the moon, joining six American flags placed during the Apollo moon missions between 1969 and 1972.

Unlike the flags placed during the Apollo missions, Chang’e was 6’s A small flag appeared on a retractable arm that deployed from the side of the lunar lander and was not placed on the lunar ground, according to an animation of the mission released by the agency.

But in another sign of the country’s ambition: the flag is made of volcanic basalt rock fibers and could remain on the moon for 10,000 years, according to CNSA.

These fibers are created by heating and stretching rocks, similar to those on the moon, and are resistant to corrosion and heat.

Professor Zhou Changyi, one of the rover’s designers, told state broadcasters: ‘In the future, such basalt fibers can also be used on the moon to make other things.

The lander was operated from a control center in Beijing (pictured), but the signal had to be bounced back by a relay satellite launched in May to reach the far side of the moon.

‘We hope to use the basalt on the moon to make building material and perhaps even contribute to a future moon base.’

The location of this landing, close to the moon’s south pole, is also important because this area may contain the frozen water that could be essential for a future moon base.

This is the sixth in China’s series of Chang’e moon missions, named after the goddess of the moon.

China has already established its own space station to which it regularly sends astronauts, and has announced its goal of sending humans to the moon by 2030.

The Chinese space agency plans three more manned missions this decade as it continues to search for water and a suitable location for a permanent base.

The samples collected (pictured) could indicate whether there is water at the moon’s south pole, which could help establish a future lunar base

This landing comes amid increasing competition and what NASA chief Bill Nelson called a new “space race.”

In January, Japan became the fifth country to land on the moon when its SLIM rover made a precision landing on the lunar surface.

America has also targeted the moon’s south pole for its first manned return to the moon in more than 50 years.

NASA recently pushed back the date of its Artemis-3 mission to 2026, but is also aiming to have humans walk on the moon before the end of this decade.

US company Intuitive Machines also landed a spacecraft on the moon in February as part of a NASA-funded mission; however, the craft overturned upon landing.