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China unfurls flag on Moon during Chang'e 5 mission
Posted Yesterday

The flag has been made from a fabric that will withstand the cold lunar temperatures.

(Supplied: Mission Of The People's Republic Of China To The EU Twitter Account)
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China unfurled a flag on the Moon shortly before a probe sent to collect lunar rocks launched its return mission to Earth, according to China's space agency.

Key points:

The Chinese flag is two metres wide and 90cm tall and weighs about a kilogram
It is made from a fabric that will withstand cold temperatures

It is attached to the Chang'e-5 lunar probe's lander vehicle

Pictures released by China's National Space Administration appear to show the flag attached to the Chang'e-5 probe.

The Chinese flag is two metres wide and 90cm tall and weighs about a kilogram and has been made from a fabric that will withstand the cold lunar temperatures.

The BBC reported the flag was unfurled by the Chang'e-5 lander vehicle just before its ascender vehicle took off using the lander as a launchpad.

Tweets from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chuying and the Mission of the People's Republic of China to the EU confirmed the event.

"Proud to have our national flag Flag of China unfolded on the moon," the EU mission account tweet read.

"The #Change5 probe collected samples and took off from moon.

"It will contribute to global scientific studies in fields such as the formation and evolution of the moon."

The US planted the first flag on the Moon during the manned Apollo 11 mission in 1969.

Five further US flags were planted on the lunar surface during subsequent missions up until 1972.

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Mission of China

@ChinaEUMission

China government account

Proud to have our national flag 
 unfolded on the moon
. The #Change5 probe collected samples and took off from moon. It will contribute to global scientific studies in fields such as the formation and evolution of the moon.