China probe lands on moon in bid to return lunar rocks to Earth

A Long March-5 rocket carrying the Chang’e 5 lunar mission lifts off at the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in Wenchang in southern China’s Hainan Province Picture: Mark Schiefelbein/AP

A Chinese robot probe sent to return lunar rocks to Earth for the first time since the 1970s landed on the moon, the government announced, adding to a string of increasingly bold space missions by Beijing.

The Chang’e 5 probe “successfully landed” at its planned site, state TV and news agencies reported, citing the China National Space Administration.