China’s Chang’e-5 probe completes drilling and sealing of lunar samples

The Chang’e-5 spacecraft has sealed soil samples obtained below the moon’s surface and is ready to continue collecting more surface samples, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said on Wednesday.

After making a successful soft landing at 11:00 p.m. BJT on Tuesday, the lander began deploying its solar panel wings and unlocking some of the payloads on board to prepare for sample collection.

The lander first drilled a 2-meter-deep hole, dug out of the ground and sealed at 4:53 a.m. Wednesday. Then it will use its robotic arms to take more samples of the lunar surface for backup.

These samples, which are expected to weigh around 2 kilograms, will be sealed in what scientists have described as a long “sausage-shaped package.”

“The samples should be sealed in case contamination occurs during the journey back to earth,” Luan Enjie, the commander-in-chief of China’s first lunar mission, told CCTV. “The lunar environment is very different from Earth, so the samples must be stored in a very clean container,” he added.

These precious soils obtained from the moon should provide information on its geological evolution and offer insight into solar activities in the universe, according to the mission team.

The Chang’e-5 probe includes a lander, ascender, orbiter, and return vehicle. The sealed packages will be stored in the ascender, which will lift off from the surface of the Moon to transfer the samples to the turner and the orbiter waiting in lunar orbit. The unmanned rendezvous and docking in lunar orbit will be the first such task carried out by China.

At the appropriate time, the turner will separate from the orbiter and return the samples to Earth, eventually landing in northern China’s Inner Mongolia.