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A Chinese spacecraft carrying rocks and soil from the moon has begun its journey again to Earth, the official Xinhua information company reported on Sunday, placing China on the right track to change into the primary nation to efficiently retrieve lunar samples for the reason that 1970s.
Engines on the Chang’e-5 probe have been ignited 230 km (143 miles) from the lunar floor early on Sunday, Beijing time, earlier than being shut down after 22 minutes with the craft on a trajectory in direction of Earth, Xinhua mentioned, citing a China National Space Administration assertion.
A profitable touchdown in Inner Mongolia would make China solely the third nation to have retrieved lunar samples after the United States and the Soviet Union. The plan was to gather 2 kg (4.Four lbs) of samples, though it has not been disclosed how a lot was really gathered.
The Chang’e-5 was launched on Nov. 24 and a lander automobile touched down on the moon on Dec. 1. The mission was anticipated to take round 23 days in complete.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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