--- title: "China Successfully Launches Lunar Sample Return Mission" description: "China has successfully launched its sample return mission to the Moon as part of the country's Chang'e-5 mission at 3:31 pm Eastern time." date: "2020-11-23" modified: "2020-11-23" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-successfully-launches-lunar-sample-return-mission" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "chang'e 4" - "chang'e 5" - "china" - "lunar soil" - "moon" - "the digest" --- # China Successfully Launches Lunar Sample Return Mission ![China has successfully launched its sample return mission to the Moon as part of the country's Chang'e-5 mission at 3:31 pm Eastern time.]() *\Image: CCTV\* ## Liftoff! China has successfully launched its Chang'e-5 sample return mission to the Moon. The Long March-5 rocket took off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China’s Hainan Province at 3:31 p.m. Eastern time. It's a historic moment: the last successful lunar return mission occurred in 1976 when the Soviet Union's Luna 24 returned 170 grams of lunar soil to the Earth. https://twitter.com/AJ_FI/status/1330972202834006023 ## Booster Seat Booster separation occurred roughly five minutes into the flight. First stage separation occurred three minutes later. The Chang'e-5 lander is headed to the western edge of the near side of the Moon, where the surrounding natural formations are far younger than the ones sampled by Apollo astronauts in the 1960s and 70s. ## Making History The launch also follows the success of predecessor Chang'e-4, which became the first spacecraft to safely touch down on the far side of the Moon in January 2019. The Chang'e-5 lander will spend less than two Earth weeks on the Moon, which represents the daytime portion of just one day on the Moon. It will attempt to scoop up two kilograms (4.4 pounds) of rock samples before returning them back to Earth in mid-December. **More on the launch:** *[Watch China Launch Its Lunar Sample Return Mission Live]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()