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The Chinese “Changi 5” probe left the surface of the Moon on Thursday, carrying samples for the first time in 40 years to Earth from where it began its return journey.
And scenes broadcast by public broadcaster CCTV showed the probe left the moon’s surface at 10:23 p.m. Beijing time (1510 GMT) on Thursday, shortly after planting the Chinese flag.
“Changi 5” consists of several parts, which are an orbiter (which remained in the orbit of the moon during the implementation of the mission), a lunar lander (which landed on the surface of the moon) and an ascension module (from the surface to the orbit of the moon).
And the last part is the one that left the moon’s surface, driven by an engine with a thrust of three thousand tons, and it took six minutes to fly, according to the National Space Agency.
The samples were first placed in the ascent unit, then emptied into the capsule which would return to the ground, a task which seemed very delicate.
If the probe manages to return samples to Earth, China will become the third country to achieve this feat after the United States and the former Soviet Union.
The last Soviet attempt with an unmanned vehicle “Luna 24” took place in 1976, and it was successfully completed.
State-run CCTV broadcaster highlighted the high-tech requirements of the operation, describing the “Changi 5” mission as one of the “most precise missions” in the history of the Chinese space program.
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