China lands spacecraft on moon for lunar rocks
China launched its Chang'e-5 probe last Tuesday (November 24). The uncrewed mission, named after the mythical Chinese goddess of the moon, aimed to collect lunar material to help scientists learn more about the moon's origins.
The mission will attempt to collect almost 4.5 lbs of samples in a previously unvisited area in a massive lava plain known as Oceanus Procellarum, or "Ocean of Storms."
If the mission is completed as planned, it would make China the third nation to have retrieved lunar samples after the United States and the Soviet Union.
