China seeks to retrieve first Moon rocks since 1970s

China is to make the first attempt to retrieve rocks from the Moon since the 1970s.

It is hoped the unmanned Chang'e-5 probe, to be launched on Tuesday, will bring back samples to help understand the Moon's origin and formation.

The last mission of its kind, Luna 24, was by the Soviet Union in 1976.

If the latest probe is successful, China will become the third country to have retrieved lunar rock, after the US and the USSR.