China successfully lands historic robotic mission on the Moon

• If successful, China will become just the third nation — after the U.S. and former Soviet Union — to bring samples back from the Moon.

The state of play: The lander should drill into the surface of the Moon to collect its sample in the coming hours, according to Andrew Jones at Space News.

• That sample is then expected to be delivered back to Earth mid-month.

The big picture: China has had a run of successes on the Moon in recent years.

• The Chang'e-4 spacecraft became the first to land and operate on the far side of the Moon in January 2019.
• The nation also has plans to eventually send people to the lunar surface.