Chinese Chang’e 5 lunar probe is returning to the earth with moon rocks

On Sunday 13th December 2020, a Chinese space capsule the Chang’e 5 lunar probe began its return to the earth with rocks from the moon.

China National Space Administration announced that the Chang’e 5 lunar probe has gathered rocks from the surface of the moon and will take about three days to get to the earth.

This is the first time that rocks are being brought back from the moon in forty years. The lunar probe had been in the moon’s orbit for nearly a week before it began its return.

Calculations show that the capsule will land in northern China in the Inner Mongolia region. It will have separated from the other parts of the spacecraft by then and will float down on parachutes.

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The Chang’e 5 lunar probe had drilled into the moon’s crust to obtain some of the rock samples and also collected some from the surface.

While this is not the first time that rock samples will be brought back from the moon, this one will be a bit different. Others that the Soviet Union and the United States’ lunar probes brought back were from the surface; thus, they could be billions of older rocks.

With these younger rocks beneath the moon’s surface coming to China, there is a chance to learn more about the moon and other celestial bodies.