SHANGHAI, Dec 6 (Reuters) – A Chinese probe that brought samples from the moon’s surface today successfully tested a spacecraft traveling to the moon, which is already in another space for the country.
The step was part of the ambitious Chang-5 mission – named after a mythical Chinese moon goddess – to bring back the first lunar specimens in four decades.
The stone and clay mall capsules came off the surface on Thursday and opened the door this morning, according to the official Xinhua news agency, citing China’s National Space Administration.
Xinhua said it was China’s first “sweet and lunar orbiter”.
The launch of the cargo capsule from the lunar surface on Thursday was the first of its kind: the first Chinese art lift from an outer body.
Xinhua said the capsule converted lunar samples into bit rabies, which would separate and return to Earth, Xinhua said.
After decades of trying to reconcile its achievements, China has been trying to reach out to the United States and Russia, including billions in its military-led space program.
Its space agency had earlier said that “before the lift off, the Chinese flag was hoisted on the surface of the moon.”
Scientists hope that samples of Chang-5 will help them learn more about the origin of the moon and the volcanic activity on its surface.
If the return voyage is successful, China will become only the third country to receive samples from the moon after the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s. – AFP
