Engines on the Chang'e 5 probe were ignited 143 miles (230
kilometres) from the lunar surface early on Sunday, Beijing time, before being
shut down after 22 minutes with the craft on a trajectory towards Earth, Xinhua
said, citing a China National Space Administration statement.
A successful landing in Inner Mongolia would make China only
the third country to have retrieved lunar samples after the United States and
the Soviet Union. The plan was to collect 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms) of samples,
although it has not been disclosed how much was actually gathered.
The Chang'e 5 was launched on November 24 and a lander
vehicle touched down on the Moon on December 1. The mission was expected to
take around 23 days in total. The Chang'e 5 spacecraft, named after the
mythical Chinese Moon goddess, left the Moon at 15:10 GMT Thursday (8:40pm
Thursday IST), said China's space agency.
A module carrying lunar rocks and soil was launched into
orbit by a powerful thrust engine, officials said of the mission that landed
Tuesday on the Moon. Video footage from China's state broadcaster CCTV showed
the probe taking off from the surface of the Moon in a bright burst of light.
The space agency said that "before lift-off, the Chinese flag was raised
on the moon's surface".
It added that this was the first time that China had achieved
take-off from an extra-terrestrial body. The module then must undergo the
delicate operation of linking up with the part of the spacecraft that is to
bring the specimens back to Earth, official news agency Xinhua reported.
Scientists hope the samples will help them learn about the Moon's origins,
formation and volcanic activity on its surface.
© Reuters
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