Wenchang, May 3 -- The Chang'e-6 lunar probe is scheduled to be launched between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. (Beijing Time) on Friday, with the preferred launch window targeted at 5:27 p.m., the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said.
The Chang'e-6 mission is tasked with collecting and then returning samples from the moon's mysterious far side to Earth -- the first endeavor of its kind in the history of human lunar exploration.
The Long March-5 Y8 rocket, which will carry the Chang'e-6 probe, has begun the process of taking on liquid oxygen cryogenic propellant at the Wenchang Space Launch Site on the coast of China's southern island province of Hainan, the CNSA added. This propellant will serve as fuel for the carrier rocket.
The Chan...