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       How to Watch China’s Launch to the Far Side of the Moon

       If successful, the Chang’e-6 mission will be the first in history to return a sample from a part of the moon that we never get to see from Earth.

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       By Katrina Miller

       May 3, 2024, 12:01 a.m. ET

       China is launching a second lander to the lunar far side, which, if successful, will be the first mission in history to bring back a sample from the part of the moon that Earth never sees.

       Unlike Earth, whose erosion and shifting crust constantly renew its surface, the moon remains frozen in time. Scientists hope that retrieving material from the far side will reveal information about the origin and evolution of the Earth-moon system.

       The mission is called Chang’e-6, named after the Chinese moon goddess and pronounced “changa.”

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       Katrina Miller is a science reporting fellow for The Times. She recently earned her Ph.D. in particle physics from the University of Chicago. More about Katrina Miller

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