China launches unmanned mission to collect lunar samples
China, which is expanding its space programme, aims to have a permanent manned space station in service in 2022
24 November 2020 - 18:53
Wenchang — China announced on Tuesday the predawn launch of a lunar probe to bring back rocks from the moon in the first bid by any country to retrieve lunar surface samples since the 1970s, a mission underscoring Chinese ambitions in space.
The Long March-5, China's largest carrier rocket, blasted off at 4.30am in a launch from Wenchang Space Launch Centre on the southern Chinese island of Hainan carrying the Chang'e-5 spacecraft...
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