China launched an uncrewed lunar mission Friday that aims to bring back samples from the far side of the moon for the first time, in a potentially major step forward for the country맥스카지노�s ambitious space program.Related video above: Starliner rolled out to launch pad ahead of first crewed missionThe Chang맥스카지노�e-6 probe 맥스카지노� China맥스카지노�s most complex robotic lunar mission to date 맥스카지노� blasted off on a Long March-5 rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China맥스카지노�s Hainan island, where space fans had gathered to watch the historic moment. The country맥스카지노�s National Space Administration said the launch was a success.The launch marks the start of a mission that aims to be a key milestone in China맥스카지노�s push to become a dominant space power with plans to land astronauts on the moon by 2030 and build a research base on its south pole.It comes as a growing number of countries, including the United States, eye the strategic and scientific benefits of expanded lunar exploration in an increasingly competitive field.China맥스카지노�s planned 53-day mission would see the Chang맥스카지노�e-6 lander touch down in a gaping crater on the moon맥스카지노�s far side, which never faces Earth. China became the first and only country to land on the moon맥스카지노�s far side during its 2019 Chang맥스카지노�e-4 mission.Any far-side samples retrieved by the Chang맥스카지노�e-6 lander could help scientists peer back into the evolution of the moon and the solar system itself 맥스카지노� and provide important data to advance China맥스카지노�s lunar ambitions.맥스카지노�The Chang맥스카지노�e-6 aims to achieve breakthroughs in the design and control technology of the moon맥스카지노�s retrograde orbit, intelligent sampling, take-off and ascent technologies, and automatic sample-return on the far side of the moon,맥스카지노� Ge Ping, deputy director of the China National Space Administration맥스카지노�s (CNSA) Center of Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering said last week from the launch site.Ambitious missionThe Chang맥스카지노�e-6 probe will be a key test for China맥스카지노�s space capabilities in its effort to realize leader Xi Jinping맥스카지노�s 맥스카지노�eternal dream맥스카지노� of building the country into a space power.China has made rapid space advancements in recent years, in a field traditionally led by the United States and Russia.With the Chang맥스카지노�e program, launched in 2007 and named for the moon goddess of Chinese mythology, China in 2013 became the first country to achieve a robotic lunar landing in nearly four decades. In 2022, China completed its own orbital space station, the Tiangong.The technically complex Chang맥스카지노�e-6 mission builds on both the Chang맥스카지노�e-4맥스카지노�s 2019 record of landing on the far side of the moon, and Chang맥스카지노�e-5맥스카지노�s 2020 success returning to Earth with near-side moon samples.This time, to communicate with Earth from the moon맥스카지노�s far side, Chang맥스카지노�e-6 must rely on the Queqiao-2 satellite, launched into lunar orbit in March.The probe itself is composed of four parts: an orbiter, a lander, an ascender and a reentry module.The mission plan is for the Chang맥스카지노�e-6맥스카지노�s lander to gather moon dust and rocks after touching down in the sprawling, roughly 2,500-kilometer diameter South Pole-Aitken basin, a crater formed some 4 billion years ago.An ascender spacecraft would then transport the samples to the lunar orbiter for transfer to the reentry module and the mission맥스카지노�s return to Earth.The complex mission 맥스카지노�goes through virtually every step맥스카지노� that will be required for Chinese astronauts to land on the moon in the years ahead, according to James Head, a professor emeritus at Brown University who has collaborated with Chinese scientists leading the mission.In addition to returning samples that could yield 맥스카지노�fundamental new insights into the origin and early history of the moon and solar system,맥스카지노� the mission also serves as 맥스카지노�robotic practice for these steps맥스카지노� to get astronauts to the moon and back, he said.China plans to launch two more missions in the Chang-e series as it nears its 2030 target of sending astronauts to the moon before building a research station in the following decade on the lunar south pole 맥스카지노� a region believed to contain water ice.Chang맥스카지노�e-7, scheduled for 2026, will aim to search for resources on the moon맥스카지노�s south pole, while Chang맥스카지노�e-8 roughly two years later could look at how to utilize lunar materials to prepare for building the research base, Chinese officials have said.Competitive spaceFriday맥스카지노�s launch comes as multiple nations ramp up their lunar programs amid a growing focus on the potential access to resources and further deep space exploration access that successful moon missions could bring.Last year, India landed its first spacecraft on the moon, while Russia맥스카지노�s first lunar mission in decades ended in failure when its Luna 25 probe crashed into the moon맥스카지노�s surface.In January, Japan became the fifth country to land a spacecraft on the moon, though its Moon Sniper lander faced power issues due to an incorrect landing angle. The following month, IM-1, a NASA-funded mission designed by Texas-based private firm Intuitive Machines, touched down close to the south pole.That landing 맥스카지노� the first by a U.S.-made spacecraft in over five decades 맥스카지노� is among several planned commercial missions intended to explore the lunar surface before NASA attempts to return U.S. astronauts there as soon as 2026 and build its scientific base camp.NASA administrator Bill Nelson last month appeared to acknowledge that China맥스카지노�s pace 맥스카지노� and concerns about its intentions 맥스카지노� were driving the American urgency to return to the moon, decades after its Apollo-crewed missions.맥스카지노�We believe that a lot of their so-called civilian space program is a military program. I think in effect we are in a race,맥스카지노� Nelson told lawmakers last month, adding his concern that China could try to bar the U.S. or other countries from certain lunar areas if they arrive there first.China has long said it stands for the peaceful use of space, and, like the U.S., has looked to use its space prowess to cultivate international goodwill.This time, China has said the Chang맥스카지노�e-6 mission carries scientific instruments or payloads from France, Italy, Pakistan and the European Space Agency.맥스카지노�China hopes to strengthen cooperation with its international counterparts and deepen international cooperation in the space field,맥스카지노� Ge of the CNSA told reporters a day ahead of the launch.