China launched its Chang'e 5 mission to the moon early Tuesday morning local time from the country's launch site on Hainan Island in the South China Sea. The country is seeking to bring soil and rock samples from the lunar surface back to Earth for the first time in its history, for scientific study. What's going to happen: Chang'e 5 should make it to the moon on November 27. The entire mission consists of four parts: an orbiter, a lander, an ascent stage, and a return capsule. The spacecraft are not equipped with any heating units to help the onboard electronics withstand the super-cold temperatures of the lunar night. That means the mission must collect its sample and start heading back to Earth within 14 days (the length of the lunar day).

The moon is a treasure trove of valuable resources. Gold, platinum, and many rare Earth metals await extraction to be used in next-generation electronics. But there's one resource in particular that has excited scientists, rocket engineers, space agency officials, industry entrepreneurs--virtually anyone with a vested interest in making spaceflight to distant worlds more affordable. If you split water into hydrogen and oxygen, and then liquefy those constituents, you have rocket fuel. If you can stop at the moon's orbit or a lunar base to refuel, you no longer need to bring all your propellant with you as you take off, making your spacecraft significantly lighter and cheaper to launch.

Liquid water on the surface of the moon has been found to'hop' around various cold spots on the lunar surface due to a complex and intricate sequence of events. Temperatures rise during the moon's daytime and at lunar noon it is sufficiently warm enough to cause water to leave the soil - known as the regolith. It then either bounces to the nearest cold location or rises into the atmosphere before being reabsorbed. It was spotted by the Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). Scientists say this discovery could allow for a constant supply of water for planned long-term manned missions to the moon.

Researchers are planning to recreate the conditions of the lunar surface right here at home. A new facility in the works at ESA's Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany will soon serve as a three-part moon analogue environment on Earth, the agency announced this month. There, scientists will simulate lunar soil and a moon habitat, powered by systems that could one day be used to support a real base on the moon. Researchers are planning to recreate the conditions of the lunar surface right here at home. A new facility in the works at ESA's Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany will soon serve as a three-part moon analogue environment on Earth.

They are the bricks that could build mankind's first home on another planet. European Space Agency officials have revealed the latest'moon bricks' that could soon be used to construct a lunar habitat. They say the bricks are the starting point to building up a permanent lunar outpost and breaking explorers' reliance on Earth supplies. This 1.5 tonne building block was produced as a demonstration of 3D printing techniques using lunar soil. The surface of the Moon is covered in grey, fine, rough dust.

Our moon is scarred with a series of so-called'lunar swirls' that stretch tens of miles across. They are only found on the moon and their origin has remained a mystery since their discovery in 1970s. Previous observations suggested comets may have caused the'tattoos', while others blamed the mystery marks on solar wind. Now, using computer models to test these theories, Nasa has discovered the most likely cause is how charged particles respond in the satellite's magnetic field. Previous observations suggested comets may have caused the'tattoos' (pictured), while others blamed the mystery marks on solar wind.

The European Space Agency's plans to build a village on the moon are part of a much wider scheme to explore the far-flung regions of our solar system. Speaking at a recent conference, Esa boss Jan Woerner said: 'I think we should go first to the moon and then further on.' He added that Mars should not be our ultimate goal and said he is'quite sure humans will go further.' The European Space Agency's plans to build a village on the moon (concept pictured) are part of a much wider scheme to explore the far-flung regions of our solar system. Speaking at a recent conference, Esa boss Jan Woerner said: 'I think we should go first to the moon and then further on' Woerner said the project could allow exploration of the far side of the moon.

It is widely regarded as one of the greatest human achievements ever made, but putting a man on the moon was no cheap undertaking. The Apollo missions to send just 12 men onto the dusty lunar surface cost 25 billion ( 17 billion) – estimated to be worth around 170 billion ( 120 billion) in modern monetary value. But it appears we may be able to send humans back to our rocky satellite and set up a permanent base where they could live for just a fraction of the cost. The cost of building a base on the moon could be a fraction of what has been previously expected. Scientists say it may be possible to build a permanent base (illustrated) housing 10 people within the next five to seven years for around 10 billion.