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China's phase-three planning for robotic lunar exploration is focused on returning to Earth samples from the moon.

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As China's Chang'e 3 lander and Yutu rover mission to the moon unfolds, the country's space authorities are pushing forward on their next stage of lunar progress — gathering select samples of the moon and rocketing them back to Earth.

China plans to launch the unmanned sample-return mission, known as Chang'e 5, in 2017, signaling the third stage in the country's lunar exploration plans, officials said.

"The development of Chang'e 5 is proceeding smoothly," Wu Zhijian, a spokesman for China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, said in a Dec. 16 press conference.

Quelle: SpaceInsider