Ascender lifts off with lunar rock samples

"The formation and composition of lunar materials have yet to be well understood, so to analyze samples from the far side will make a major contribution to related research," he said.

Yang Yuguang, a senior space industry observer and vice-chair of the International Astronautical Federation's Space Transportation Committee, said the lunar far side samples are of "unparalleled scientific value", because the history of the far side is very different from that of the near side.

Studying the Chang'e 6 samples will definitely help scientists unravel some long-standing mysteries about the moon, he said.

Yang noted that the ascender's liftoff from the lunar far side was a challenging task, because it needed precision planning to ensure the ascender reached a predetermined orbital position, and there was only the Queqiao 2 relay satellite capable of providing technical assistance.

The next challenge, he said, will be the execution of the rendezvous and docking maneuvers, as they will also require an extreme level of agility and accuracy.