Chang'e 6 to land on moon in 1st half of year

The Chang'e 6 spacecraft, China's next robotic expedition to the moon, is scheduled to land on the lunar surface in the first half of this year and will be tasked with bringing back samples from its little-known far side, according to the China National Space Administration.

The administration said in a news release on Wednesday that components of the Chang'e 6 probe were transported by two military cargo planes to Haikou, capital of Hainan province, on Monday and Tuesday, and were then carried by truck to the Wenchang Space Launch Center on the east coast of the island province.

The probe will be assembled and undergo prelaunch checks at the center, it noted, adding that preparatory work is underway on all systems involved in the coming mission.