"A landmark mission to collect rocks and dust from the surface of the Moon is progressing as planned, with China’s Chang’e-5 lander safely touching down on the lunar surface nine days after lift-off. If the next phases of the mission prove equally successful, it will be the first time lunar samples have been returned to Earth in 44 years.
The Chang’e-5 mission launched last week as the successor to the China National Space Administration’s (CNSA) Chang’e-4 mission, which last year became the first spacecraft to touch down on the far side of the Moon. Chang’e-5 ups the ambition even further, looking to become the first spacecraft to retrieve dust and rocks from the Moon since the Soviet Union’s Luna-24 spacecraft in 1976."
The Chang’e-5 mission launched last week as the successor to the China National Space Administration’s (CNSA) Chang’e-4 mission, which last year became the first spacecraft to touch down on the far side of the Moon. Chang’e-5 ups the ambition even further, looking to become the first spacecraft to retrieve dust and rocks from the Moon since the Soviet Union’s Luna-24 spacecraft in 1976."