China to launch Chang'e-6 Friday afternoon

WENCHANG, Hainan, May 3 (Xinhua) -- The Chang'e-6 lunar probe is scheduled to be launched between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. (Beijing Time) Friday, with the preferred launch window targeted at 5:27 p.m., said the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

The Chang'e-6 mission is tasked with collecting and returning samples from the moon's mysterious far side, the first endeavor of its kind in the history of human lunar exploration.

The Long March-5 Y8 carrier rocket has begun to be fueled with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen cryogenic propellant, the CNSA added.