BEIJING, Dec. 19 – China’s Chang’e-5 probe recovered about 1,731 grams of samples from the moon, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
At a ceremony on Saturday morning, Zhang Kejian, head of the CNSA, gave the samples to Hou Jianguo, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Liu He, who was also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, was in attendance. He advised the Chang’e-5 lunar mission as an important milestone in building China’s strength in aerospace.
Liu also sought to foster cooperation and collaboration in dealing with lunar sample research problems and Chinese wisdom contributed to the deepening of scientific understanding of the creation and evolution of the universe.
The samples were then transferred to the lunar sample laboratory at the National Astronomical Observatories under the CAS.
Scientists will store, analyze and research the first samples in the country collected from the outside object.
The CNSA said it would release the relevant policies for the lunar samples retrieved by Chang’e-5 to coordinate and advance scientific research, encourage more scientists at home and abroad to participate. and seek to secure more scientific achievements.
The CNSA also conducts popular public science programs and cultural exchanges related to the mission.
Chang’e-5 is one of the most complex and challenging missions in Chinese aerospace history. It is also the world’s first lunar sample mission in over 40 years.
The Chang’e-5 probe, including orbiter, lander, ascender, and return, was launched on November 24th. The return capsule landed in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Department in the early hours of Thursday, retrieving the samples collected from the moon.