China’s Got Grand Plans for the Moon and Beyond

  • A Chinese probe landed on the far side of the moon this month
  • Space race heating up as China, U.S. look at Mars and beyond
Yutu-2, China’s lunar rover, on the far side of the moon, Jan. 4.Photographer: Xinhua/CNSA via Getty Images
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After becoming the first country in the world to land a spacecraft on the far side of the moon, China is planning four more missions to get samples back before studying the feasibility of a lunar research base.

China plans to launch the Chang’e-5 probe to the moon later this year, with three more in the offing, said Wu Yanhua, vice administrator of the China National Space Administration, at a briefing in Beijing on Monday. At least two of them will land on the moon’s south pole and conduct research, he said.