Historic Lunar Mission: China's Chang'e-5 Successfully Collects Moon Soil and Heads Back to Earth
China's Chang'e-5 mission marks a groundbreaking achievement by collecting lunar samples and returning them to Earth, a feat accomplished only twice before.
Until now, only the United States and the Soviet Union had managed to collect lunar soil samples.
On December 1st, China's Chang'e-5 spacecraft, launched on November 24th, achieved a successful landing on the Moon's surface. It touched down near the Mons Rümker peak in the Oceanus Procellarum region on the Moon's western near side. Over the next 48 hours, the probe drilled into the lunar surface and gathered approximately 2 kilograms of soil for scientific study. On December 3rd, Chang'e-5 transferred the sample capsule to its orbital module, which is now en route back to Earth. The anticipated landing on Earth is scheduled for December 17th.
This mission marks the first time in nearly 50 years that lunar surface samples will be returned to Earth. If successful, China will become the third nation ever to retrieve Moon soil, following the United States and the Soviet Union. The last such mission was conducted in 1976.
In July 2019, India attempted a lunar landing with its Vikram lander carrying a rover, but unfortunately, the lander crashed during descent.
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