Craft unfurls China's flag on the far side of the moon and lifts off with lunar rocks to bring home
China says its spacecraft unfurled the country’s red and gold flag on the far side of the moon before lifting off with rock and soil samples to bring back to Earth. The mission was hailed as a success in China, which has made significant advances in a space program that aims to put a person on the moon before the end of this decade. The Chang’e-6 probe was launched last month and its lander touched down on the far side of the moon Sunday. China’s space agency said the probe's ascender carrying the lunar samples entered a preset orbit around the moon Tuesday. The samples will be transferred to a reentry capsule that is due to return to Earth about June 25.