Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Chinese capsule with moon rocks begins return to Earth

A Chinese space capsule bringing back the first moon rocks in more than four decades has begun its return trip to Earth

Via AP news wire
Sunday 13 December 2020 05:01 GMT
China Moon Probe
China Moon Probe (Xinhua)

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

A Chinese space capsule bringing back the first moon rocks in more than four decades has begun its return to Earth

The Chang’e 5 lunar probe left the moon’s orbit on Sunday morning by activating four engines for about 22 minutes, the China National Space Administration said in a social media post.

The mission landed on the moon earlier this month and collected about 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of samples.

The return capsule is expected to land in northern China in the Inner Mongolia region after a three-day journey. The material would be the first brought back since the Soviet Union’s Luna 24 probe in 1976.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in