China’s Chang’e-6 probe has lifted off from the far side of the Moon, starting its journey back towards Earth, state media Xinhua announced on Tuesday.
The probe departed the Moon at 7.38am local time (12.38am BST) and completed its two-day sample collection on Monday night.
Chang’e-6 displayed China’s national flag for the first time on the far side of the Moon after picking up the samples, Beijing Daily said.
The mission to the dark side of the Moon is a world first, and the latest leap for Beijing’s space programme, which aims to send a crewed mission to the surface by 2030.