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China launched its Chang’e-5 probe at Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in southern Hainan Province.
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Chang’e-5 Mission is a Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) lunar sample return mission.
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Aim: To land in the Mons Rumker region of the moon, operate for one lunar day(two weeks) and return a 2 kg sample of lunar regolith possibly from as deep as 2 meters.
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Significance: It will help scientists learn about the Moon’s origins, formation and volcanic activity on its surface.
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It is the first attempt by any nation to retrieve samples from the moon since the 1970s.
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A successful landing in Inner Mongolia would make China only the third country to have retrieved lunar samples after the United States and the Soviet Union.