China’s Chang’e 5 probe is the start of a new era of lunar exploration

Chang’e 5 is about to convey moon rocks again to Earth for the primary time in additional than 4 a long time – and China has much more bold plans for lunar missions within the coming years

WHEN it involves house exploration, China has lengthy taken third place. The chilly conflict’s house race noticed the US and the Soviet Union vying for firsts – satellite tv for pc, human in orbit, touchdown on the moon – and left few information for China to assert.

That modified final yr, when its uncrewed Chang’e four spacecraft made the primary touchdown on the far aspect of the moon. Amongst different experiments, it contained a “lunar backyard” of seedlings that went on to host the primary vegetation (that we all know of) to germinate on one other world.

The Chang’e missions, named after …