China announces Chang'e 5 lunar probe landing site

China's Chang'e 5 lunar probe is expected to land in the Mons Rumker region of the moon, and bring samples back to Earth at the end of the year, according to a Chinese space official.

Liu Jizhong, director of the China Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center of the China National Space Administration, disclosed the probe landing site, an isolated volcanic formation in the northwestern part of the moon's near side.

Liu also mentioned China's Chang'e 4 lunar probe in a report at the Global Space Exploration Conference, which opened in Beijing on Tuesday. He said China's Chang'e 4 lunar probe, which is expected to be the first unmanned probe to land on the far side of the moon, would be launched in 2018, carrying 11 scientific experiments, including four developed by other countries.