A graphic simulation shows the orbiter and returner combination of China's Chang'e-5 probe after its separation from the ascender. [Photo/CNSA]
The lander also unfurled the first free-standing Chinese national flag on the moon.
The ascender activated an engine late on Dec 3 to lift itself into an elliptical lunar orbit to prepare for docking with the reentry capsule, marking the first time a Chinese spacecraft has blasted off from an extraterrestrial body.
It rendezvoused and docked with the orbiting combination early on Dec 6 and transferred lunar samples into the reentry capsule. The ascender separated from the combination later that day and was commanded to impact on the moon on Dec 8.
The combination made two orbital injection operations over the weekend after traveling in a near-circular lunar orbit for nearly six days. After the injection maneuvers, the pair entered a moon-Earth transfer trajectory on Sunday and began to fly back toward Earth.
According to the space administration, the Chang'e 5 mission was designated to fulfill several objectives. In terms of space engineering, it should demonstrate and verify technical plans and apparatus for autonomous lunar sampling and packing, moon-based launching as well as lunar orbital docking. In the scientific context, it was tasked with investigating the landing site's geological and topographic features, and enabling scientists to analyze lunar samples' structure and physical traits so they can deepen their research into moon's origin and evolution.
Project planners also wanted the mission to help to foster the country's knowledge, technology and talent pool for its future manned lunar missions and other deep-space expeditions.
The first man-made object from Earth to ever reach the moon was the Soviet spacecraft Luna 2. Instead of landing, it actually crashed into the moon in September 1959. The first soft-landing on our celestial neighbor was made by the Soviet Luna 9, in February 1966.
As the result of long-time persuasions by scientists, the Chinese government approved in January 2004 an overall plan for the country's lunar exploration program and officially opened the research and development work.
The first Chang'e probe was launched in October 2007. Since then, China has launched five lunar probes, including Chang'e 5, and one experimental spacecraft.
Before Chang'e 5, the Chang'e 4, which remains operational on the moon, was the most remarkable lunar mission by China as it is the first endeavor by any nation to conduct surface observation of the moon's far side, which never faces Earth, thereby accomplishing a goal sought by scientists for decades.
The design work on Chang'e 5 began in January 2011 and was concluded in December 2012, and then designers and engineers started building the probe's prototype. Construction for the Chang'e 5 began in December 2015 at the China Academy of Space Technology.
The mission was originally scheduled to be done by the end of 2017, but the plan had to be postponed due to technical problems on the Long March 5 rocket, which had a launch failure in July of that year.
Overview
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