Chang'e-5 to the moon

[brian livesey]

China has prepared a huge rocket for launch to the moon at its Wenchang launch site off the coast of Hainan province. On board will be a lunar lander capable of drilling two metres beneath the surface to scoop up rocks and other samples for return to Earth.
The moon sampling will be the first since American and Russian missions in the 1960s and '70s. Chang'e-5 is named after the Chinese moon goddess, and is one of China's most ambitious space projects to date. China put its first astronaut in space in 2003, making it only the third nation to do this after the US and Russia. Recently, China launched its first Mars orbiter.

[RMSteele]

Harpooning the Moon, Brian. I think it's all part of the process of acquisition that will lead to war by 2050. Bob

[Brian]

UK Space Corps will stand ready (err.. says Boris )

[brian livesey]

Every square metre of the moon will have been built on by American mining corporations before China can stake a claim.