Sample Success! Chang'e 5 lifts off from the Moon
China's Chang'e 5 mission , which lifted off to the moon on Nov. 23, has so far met with great success. As planned, the lander settled down safely near Mons Rümker in the Ocean of Storms then drilled and collected samples of lunar soil and rock. These were stored inside the ascent vehicle which successfully launched to lunar orbit on Dec. 3. After it docks with the sample-return orbiter the pair will leave orbit and head back to Earth. The samples will land in Inner Mongolia on Dec. 15, the first returned to Earth in 44 years. This panoramic view of the lunar surface was made by the Chang'e 5 spacecraft. Click here for a high resolution photo that you can explore right down to the nitty-gritty. CNSA It's all happening so fast it makes me wonder why the U.S. and Russia aren't jutting off to the moon more often. Of course, U.S. priorities are focused on the crewed Artemis III lunar mission, set to touch down on the moon in October 2024. Likewise, the Chinese h