The official China Radio and Television Network reported that a Chinese probe approached the moon on an unmanned mission to obtain a sample of the moon’s soil and was preparing for a smooth landing.
After the probe landed on the moon´s surface, the mission hopes to return the moon rocks to Earth, making China the third country to do so after the United States and the Soviet Union.
This is the most ambitious lunar mission in China so far and "follows the Chang-4 mission" last year, which achieved the first ever landing on the far side of the moon.
The Chang5 spacecraft, named after the Chinese moon goddess, weighs 8,200 kg.
The rocket carrying the Chang5 probe took off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern Hainan Province early on November 24th.
It is noteworthy that the exact time for the landing is unclear: Some US experts previously assumed that the landing would occur early on Monday morning, but according to other estimates, the landing should take place on Tuesday or Wednesday.
