A first mission of this type in 44 years.
China, which is investing billions in the conquest of space, has just brought pieces of the Earth's satellite back to Earth.
This had not been done since the removal of rocks during the American manned Apollo 17 mission in 1972 and the successful Soviet Luna 24 mission in 1976.
The Chang'e 5 probe (which takes its name from Chang'e, a moon goddess in Chinese mythology) was launched on November 24.
It had landed on the lunar star on December 1 near Mons Rümker, in a mountainous area never before explored.
Its mission was to collect around two kilos of material.
Once the operation is completed, the probe's lander is automatically raised in lunar orbit to dock with the orbiter.
The rocks were then transferred to the return module.
All of these operations were piloted remotely from Earth.
"A big step forward"
To mark this technological feat, China has deployed great means to welcome the arrival of the Chang'e 5 space probe during the night in the region of Inner Mongolia (north).
The successful re-entry and landing of the Chang'e-5 capsule on Thursday have enabled #China to obtain its first #lunar samples, marking a new start for the moon and planetary research.
# ChangE5 #space https://t.co/D3s6l5q7xt pic.twitter.com/86MBK8RgE2
- China Daily (@ChinaDaily) December 17, 2020
Public television CCTV broadcast images of the module descending from the night sky using a parachute before touching down on the snow-covered ground.
Immediately, trucks and scientists then came to collect the precious material and the red flag with five yellow stars was planted near the craft.
China: Video showing footage of the atmospheric reentry of the Chang'e 5 probe's return capsule that landed in the Inner Mongolia region.
pic.twitter.com/9S0518mgDp
- Rebecca Rambar (@RebeccaRambar) December 17, 2020
Chinese President Xi Jinping praised the "complete success of the Chang'e-5 mission".
“This is another major achievement in tackling the difficulties by fully showcasing the advantages of the new national system, thus marking a big step forward for the Chinese space industry.
This will help deepen the understanding of the origin of the Moon and the evolutionary history of the solar system, ”he added.
Now, these samples will allow scientists to learn more about the origins of the Moon, its formation and volcanic activity on its surface.
China in this space race, while lagging behind Russia and the United States, has strong ambitions.
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After sending its first astronaut into space in 2003, China is stepping up its missions.
In 2019, she made an impression by landing a probe and a small remote-controlled robot on the far side of the Moon, a world first.
In June, it has just completed the constellation of its Beidou navigation system, rival of the American GPS.
The country which plans to build its own space station in 2022 is going even further.
This summer, a probe was launched towards Mars.
She has already traveled more than 100 million km and made many pictures of her trip.
At the end of her trip next year, she hopes to make a small remote-controlled robot evolve on the surface of the red planet.