It is hoped the unmanned Chang’e-5 probe, to be launched on Tuesday, will bring back samples to help understand the Moon’s origin and formation.
The last mission of its kind, Luna 24, was by the Soviet Union in 1976.
If the latest probe is successful, China will become the third country to have retrieved lunar rock, after the US and the USSR.
The Chang’e-5 spacecraft- named after the ancient Chinese goddess of the Moon – will be launched by a Long March 5 rocket.
The probe attempt to collect 2kg of samples from an as yet unvisited area of the Moon named the Ocean of Storms.
In comparison, the 1976 mission collected 170 grams, and the Apollo mission that put man on the Moon brought back 382kg of rocks and soil.
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