China sending probe to get samples from less-explored far side of the Moon

China is preparing to launch a lunar probe that would land on the far side of the Moon and return with samples that could provide insights into geological and other differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side. The unprecedented mission would be the latest advance in the increasingly sophisticated and ambitious space exploration programme that is now competing with the US, still the leader in space. Advertisement China already landed a rover on the Moon's far side in 2019, the first country to do so. Free from exposure to Earth and other interference, the Moon's somewhat mysterious…