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Once all is said and done, China hopes to bring more than four pounds of samples back to Earth. To put this into context, NASA astronauts reported about 842 pounds of moon rock and soil between 1969 and 1972. If the mission is successful, China will only become the third nation in history to have accomplished that feat. To date, only the United States and the Soviet Union have successfully brought back samples from the Moon.
How The New York Times points out, China has in the past waited for one of its aircraft to successfully enter orbit before sharing any news. This time, the country aired the entire takeoff procedure on state television and YouTube, signaling its growing confidence in its space program. Like Chang’e-4 before, Chang’e-5 is part of China’s ambitious plan for the moon. By the late 2030s, the country hopes to establish a research facility and human colony on the lunar surface, which NASA’s Artemis program hopes to do as well.
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