China’s Chang’e-5 spacecraft successfully returned to Earth with lunar soil samples
It became known about the successful completion of the Chinese space mission, in which samples of lunar soil were delivered to Earth. The return capsule of the Chang’e-5 spacecraft, inside which there is about 2 kg of regolith, has successfully landed in the north of the Celestial Empire. Information about this was published on the official page of the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
According to available data, the capsule entered the Earth’s atmosphere at 01:33 local time (20:33 Moscow time), after which it continued to descend, and at an altitude of about 10 km from the surface, a parachute opened, which provided deceleration. The landing took place at 01:59 local time (20:59 Moscow time) in the territory of the Inner Mongolia region. It is worth noting that China’s mission was the first in more than 40 years, within the framework of which it was possible to deliver lunar soil to our planet.
In the near future, a capsule with regolith samples will be transported by plane to Beijing, where the lunar rock will be carefully studied by Chinese scientists. It is worth noting that about a quarter of the lunar soil delivered to Earth, the Chinese apparatus was able to extract from a well about two meters deep, while the rest of the rock was collected directly from the surface of the Earth’s satellite.
In the near future, Chinese scientists will begin to study the regolith. It is noteworthy that it will be studied not only from a scientific point of view but also as part of a program to prepare for the construction of a research station on the lunar surface.
