Chinese Probe Departs Moon, Set To Return To Earth With Haul Of Lunar Rocks

Chinese state media is reporting that its probe, called “Chang’e-5”, has lifted off from the surface of the moon and is in the midst of completing the first stage of its return to Earth. 

The probe was tasked with collecting a sample of lunar rocks, a task not undertaken by China in its last two trips to the moon, which occurred in 2019 and 2013. 

We reported two days ago that the spacecraft had landed on the moon. China’s National Space Administration declared on Tuesday morning that it’s “Chang’e-5 successfully landed on the near side of moon.” 

The probe’s mission included using a robotic arm, from the lander, to drill into the lunar surface to collect about four pounds of moon rocks, storing them in a container on the ascent module on top of the lander, before returning to Earth. 

The goal of the mission was to collect 4.5 pounds of samples in a previously untouched area called Oceanus Procellarum, or “Ocean of Storms”. BBC News’ Jonathan Amos tweeted a CCTV clip of Chang’e 5 approaching the lunar surface earlier this week:

The Verge predicts that the craft could return to Earth “around December 16th or 17th” and that “China is targeting somewhere in Inner Mongolia for the landing spot.” 

If all goes well on its return, China will become one of three countries to retrieve rock samples from the lunar surface. We first reported on the mission in late November, noting that it could be the beginning of another era of “space races”.

The U.S. Apollo missions had previously landed 12 astronauts and brought back a total of 842 pounds of rocks and soil. The Soviet Union’s Luna missions had brought 6 ounces of samples in the 70s. Both countries visited different areas of the moon than the Chinese visited.  

James Head, a planetary scientist at Brown University, said in late November: “The Apollo-Luna sample zone of the moon, while critical to our understanding, was undertaken in an area that comprises far less than half the lunar surface.”

China says it has plans to establish a “robotic base station” on the moon within the next decade. It plans on doing so using its Chang’e 6, Chang’e 7 and Chang’e 8 missions. 

As we noted earlier this week, it’s becoming pretty clear why President Trump launched the Space Force – as it appears both the US and China now have competing interests on the moon.

To remind readers, apparently, the moon has an abundance of rare earth metals.