China plans to send its Chang'e 5 probe to the moon around the end of the year and bring lunar samples back to Earth.

我国计划于2019年年底前后发射嫦娥五号登陆月球并采样返回。

Wu Yanhua, deputy head of the China National Space Administration, said last Monday afternoon that the Chang'e 5 mission will be the next step in China's lunar exploration and will mark the completion of the program's third phase, whose goal is guiding a probe carrying lunar soil back to Earth.

国家航天局副局长吴艳华上周一下午表示，嫦娥五号任务将是我国探月工程进行的下一步工作，标志着该工程第三阶段的完成，该阶段目标是引导探测器将月球土壤带回地球。

If Chang'e 5 succeeds in its mission, China will become the third nation to retrieve¹ lunar samples, after the US and Russia.

若嫦娥五号能圆满完成任务，我国将成为继美国、俄罗斯后第三个取回月球样本的国家。

After Chang'e 5, China has plans for Chang'e 6, 7 and 8 missions, Wu said.

据吴艳华介绍，嫦娥五号任务完成后，我国计划实施嫦娥六号、七号和八号任务。

Chang'e 6 is intended to land on the moon's south pole, he said, and return with rocks and soil.

嫦娥六号旨在着陆月球南极，携岩石和土壤返回。

Chang'e 7 will investigate the south pole, and Chang'e 8 will be tasked with verifying advanced technologies that may be applied² in future lunar expeditions.

嫦娥七号将执行月球南极探测，嫦娥八号的任务则是验证未来探月或将运用的一些先进技术。