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

The Long March-5 Y8 carrier vehicle will be tested at the launch site together with the lunar probe, the CNSA added.

The Chang'e-6 lunar probe is scheduled to launch in the first half of this year. The probe is set to collect the first-ever samples from the far side of the moon.

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

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

(With input from Xinhua)