BEIJING – China has planted his five-starred Red flag on the surface of themoon, becoming world’s second nation after the US, which did the same morethan 50 years ago during the manned Apollo mission 11.

A picture shared by China’s National Space Administration show the flag, agenuine one made from fabrics, holding still on the airless lunar surface.

The photo was taken by a camera installed on the Chang’e-5, the thirdsChinese lunar mission sent to moon for bringing rock samples back to earth.

The Chang’e-5 ascender has successfully taken off from the lunar surfacewith soil and rock samples, and sent to the lunar orbiter some 15kilometers away with the 3,000-newton thrust engine, the state-run GlobalTimes said.

In previous two lunar expeditions, China did not plant its flag on the moonas during Chang’e-3, which was conducted in 2013, and Chang’e-4 conductedin 2019 carried the flags in the form of craft’s coating, rather than anactual flag.

The US affixed the first flag on the Moon in 1969. Five more US flags wereplanted in next lunar mission up until 1972.