China is set to launch the first-ever mission, known as Chang’e 6, on Friday to collect rock and soil samples from the far side of the moon.
The lunar lander is scheduled to launch by rocket at 3:50 a.m. ET from the China National Space Administration’s (CNSA) Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on the island of Hainan, located to the south of China, according to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
The 53-day mission will send the spacecraft to the side of the moon that always faces away from Earth with the goal of collecting about 4.4 pounds of material, NASA says.
If the mission goes according to plan, the lander will separate from the orbiter and descend onto the lunar surface by the southern part of Apollo crater within the South…
