A Chinese space machine named Chang’e-6 left the far side of the moon and is now traveling back to Earth.
This mission might make China the first country to bring back moon rocks from the far side, which always faces away from us.
Chang’e-6 spent a few days collecting rocks with a drill and a robot arm. It was harder than the previous mission (Chang’e-5) because it couldn’t talk to Earth directly. Instead, it relied on a special helper satellite called Queqiao-2.
After collecting rocks, Chang’e-6 even showed off a Chinese flag! Now it’s circling the moon and will meet another space machine. They’ll work together to send the rocks back to Earth in a capsule, which is expected to land in Inner Mongolia around June 25th.