The Long March 7 carrier rocket tasked with lifting the Tianzhou 7 cargo spaceship is moved to a launch service tower at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province, Jan 15, 2024. (LIU CHANGLIAN / CHINA DAILY)

BEIJING - The carrier rocket for the Chang'e-6 lunar probe has arrived at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China's Hainan province, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said on Friday.

The Long March-5 Y8 carrier vehicle will undergo assembly and testing at the launch site together with the lunar probe, which has already been transported to the site, the CNSA added.

The CNSA announced that scientific instruments from France, Italy and the European Space Agency will be onboard the lander of the Chang'e-6 mission

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Chang'e-6 lunar probe is scheduled for launch in the first half of this year. The probe is set to collect samples from the far side of the moon, marking a mission that will be the first of its kind in human history.

The CNSA announced that scientific instruments from France, Italy and the European Space Agency will be onboard the lander of the Chang'e-6 mission, and a Pakistani payload on the orbiter.

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At present, the preparatory work at the launch site is underway as planned, the agency said.