China’s lunar probe makes first successful takeoff from far side of moon

News Snapshot:

A Chinese probe carrying samples from the far side of the moon has started its journey back to Earth, the country’s space agency said – a world first and a major achievement for Beijing’s space programme. The ascender module of the Chang’e-6 probe “lifted off from lunar surface” and entered a preset orbit around the moon, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said. It was the first craft to successfully take off from the moon’s far side, with the state news agency Xinhua describing the launch as “an unprecedented feat in human lunar exploration history”. Analysis of the samples it...