China successfully launched a robotic spacecraft yesterday that will aim to bring back rocks and other material from the moon. If the mission succeeds, China will become the third nation in history to retrieve lunar samples (joining the US and the former Soviet Union) and the first to do so since the 1970s.
Extra: The Chang’e 5mission marks the latest in a series of space-related efforts made by China over the last several decades. Here’s a timeline of major milestones.
