China looks to future lunar base after successful return of Moon rocks

A model of China’s Chang’e 5 lunar orbiter and lander are displayed before a press conference at the State Council Information Office in Beijing (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

After the successful return of Moon rocks by its Chang’e 5 robotic probe, China is preparing for future missions that could set the stage for an eventual lunar base to host human explorers.

Its next three lunar missions are on track, along with programmes for returning samples from Mars and exploring asteroids and the planet Jupiter, deputy chief commander of the China Lunar Exploration Programme Wu Yanhua said.