China mission to collect Moon samples
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China has successfully launched a robotic spacecraft tasked with bringing back samples from the Moon – the first bid by any country to retrieve lunar surface samples since the 1970s
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Mons Rümker
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1969: Apollo 11 Sea of Tranquility
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Mons Rümker rise on Oceanus Procellarum. Picture taken from Apollo 15 in 1971
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1969, Apollo 11: First geologic samples from Moon. Between 1969-72, six missions collect and return 382kg of samples from lunar surface
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1970-76, Luna programme: Three Soviet Luna probes return 301 grams of lunar soil to Earth
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1993, Hiten: Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) satellite intentionally crashes into Moon
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1994, Clementine: NASA mission maps lunar surface
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1997, HGS 1: First commercial satellite to make lunar flyby
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1998, Lunar Prospector: NASA makes detailed map of lunar surface composition
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2003, SMART-1: European Space Agency lunar orbiter tests solar-powered ion drive
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2007, Kaguya: JAXA lunar orbiter survey mission
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2007, Chang’e 1: Orbiter is first Chinese lunar mission
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2008: Chandrayaan 1: Indian Space Research Organization mission with lunar impact probe
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2009, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter-LCROSS: NASA’s LRO search for landing sites and water
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2010, Chang’e 2: Chinese mission to find landing site
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2013, Chang’e 3: Chinese lander and Yutu rover
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2011, GRAIL: Nasa mission to map lunar interior
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2014, Chang’e 5 T1: Test lunar sample return mission
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2018, Queqiao: Communications relay satellite for China’s lunar farside mission
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2018, Chang’e 4: Chinese lander is first mission to far side of Moon. Rover takes 3D images
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2019, Beresheet: Failed bid by Israel to land on Moon
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2019, Chandrayaan 2: Failed Indian attempt to land on Moon
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Nov-Dec 2020, Chang’e 5: Craft will land in Mons Rümker region of Oceanus Procellarum. Chang’e 5 will stay on surface for one lunar day – 14 Earth days – and return 2-4kg sample by mid-December
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Sources: NASA, Associated Press, Reuters Picture: NASA © GRAPHIC NEWS