China set to blast off to the far side of the Moon – here’s what it could discover

China is attempting to recover the first ever soil and rock samples from the lunar far side. The surface mission, Chang’e 6, named after the Chinese Moon goddess Chang’e, is a predecessor to the successful sample return mission, Chang’e 5, and a part of the Chinese lunar exploration programme.

The mission is set for launch using a long March 5 rocket at the Wenchang satellite launch centre in Hainan province on May 3. The spacecraft due to land on the...