The mission aimed to retrieve the world's first rock and soil samples from the far side of the Moon, which could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side, the CNSA said.

Using a scoop and drill, the Chang'e-6 lander will aim to collect 2 kilograms of lunar material over two days and bring it back to Earth.

Missions to this region are more difficult because it doesn't face the Earth, requiring a relay satellite to maintain communications. 

The terrain is also more rugged, with fewer flat areas to land.

The South Pole-Aitken Basin, an impact crater created more than 4 billion years ago, is 13 kilometres deep and has a diameter of 2,500km, according to a report by China's Xinhua News Agency.

It is the oldest and largest of such craters on the Moon, so may provide the earliest information about it, Xinhua said, adding that the huge impact may have ejected materials from deep below the surface.

Sources | Reuters / AP