View source for Chang'e 5

{{Short description|Chinese lunar exploration mission}}

{{Use British English|date=December 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}

{{Infobox spaceflight
| name              = Chang'e 5
| image             = Chang-e-5-assembly-CG-1-Cropped.jpg
| image_caption     = Chang'e 5 probe separating from the launcher (artist's impression)
| image_size        = 300px

| mission_type      = [[Sample-return mission|Lunar sample return]]
| operator          = [[China National Space Administration|CNSA]]
| COSPAR_ID         = 2020-087A
| SATCAT            = 47097
| mission_duration  = Elapsed: {{time interval|23 November 2020 20:30|show=ymd|sep=,}}

| spacecraft_bus    = 
| manufacturer      = [[China Academy of Space Technology|CAST]]
| launch_mass       = 8,200 kg<ref name="Chang'e 5">{{cite web |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=2020-087A |title=Chang'e 5 |publisher=[[NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive]] |access-date=November 30, 2022 |archive-date=10 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210153412/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=2020-087A |url-status=live }}</ref>
| dimensions        = 
| power             =

| launch_date       = 23 November 2020<br/>20:30:12 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]]<ref name="Chang'e 5"></ref><br/>24 November 2020<br/>04:30 [[Time in China|CST]]<ref name="NSSDCA">{{cite web|title=NASA – NSSDCA Spacecraft Details – Chang'e 5|url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=CHANG-E-5|website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov|publisher=NASA|access-date=16 November 2020|archive-date=30 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130150906/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=CHANG-E-5|url-status=dead}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>
| launch_rocket     = [[Long March 5]]
| launch_site       = [[Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site|Wenchang]]
| launch_contractor = [[China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology|CALT]]

| landing_date      = 16 December 2020<br/>17:59 UTC<ref name="Chang'e 5"></ref><br/><small>Return capsule</small>
| landing_site      = [[Inner Mongolia]], China
| insignia         =
| insignia_caption = Chang'e 5 Orbiter mission patch
| interplanetary = {{Infobox spaceflight/IP
 | type             = orbiter
 | object           = [[Moon|Lunar]]
 | orbits           = 
 | arrival_date     = 28 November 2020<br/>12:58 UTC<ref name=":1"/>
 | periapsis        = {{cvt|200|km}}<ref name=":1"/>

 }} {{Infobox spaceflight/IP
 | type             = lander
 | object           = [[Moon|Lunar]]
 | arrival_date     = 1 December 2020<br />15:11 UTC<ref>{{cite web|last1=Berger|first1=Eric|title=China Chang'e 5 probe has safely landed on the Moon|url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/12/china-likely-to-attempt-its-change-5-moon-landing-on-tuesday/|website=arstechnica.com|date=December 2020 |access-date=1 December 2020|archive-date=15 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215210159/https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/12/china-likely-to-attempt-its-change-5-moon-landing-on-tuesday/|url-status=live}}</ref>
 | departure_date   = 3 December 2020<br/>15:10 UTC
 | location         = [[Mons Rümker]], region of [[Oceanus Procellarum]]<br/>{{coords|43.0576|N|51.9161|W|globe:moon|display=inline,title|format=dec}}<ref name="Ch 5">{{cite web|last=Williams|first=David R.|date=7 December 2018|title=Future Chinese Lunar Missions|url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/cnsa_moon_future.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190104200441/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/cnsa_moon_future.html|archive-date=2019-01-04|publisher=NASA}} {{PD-notice}}</ref><ref name="jones">{{cite web|first=Andrew|last=Jones|date=7 June 2017|title=China confirms landing site for Chang'e-5 Moon sample return|url=https://gbtimes.com/china-confirms-landing-site-change-5-moon-sample-return|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328154816/https://gbtimes.com/china-confirms-landing-site-change-5-moon-sample-return|archive-date=28 March 2019|access-date=17 December 2017|publisher=GB Times}}</ref>
 | sample_mass      = {{cvt|1731|g}}<ref name="xinhuanet">{{cite web|title=China's Chang'e-5 retrieves 1,731 grams of moon samples|url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-12/19/c_139603150.htm|date=19 December 2020|agency=[[Xinhua News Agency]]|url-status=live|archive-date=20 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201220143345/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-12/19/c_139603150.htm}}</ref>

}}
{{Infobox spaceflight/Dock
   | docking_target     = Sample Ascender
   | docking_type       = dock
   | docking_date       = 5 December 2020, 21:42:00&nbsp;UTC<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.space.com/china-chang-e-5-moon-orbit-docking-success|title=China's Chang'e 5 aces lunar orbit docking needed to bring moon samples home|first=Andrew|last=Jones|date=December 6, 2020|publisher=Space.com|access-date=January 2, 2023|archive-date=7 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307021050/https://www.space.com/china-chang-e-5-moon-orbit-docking-success|url-status=live}}</ref>
   | undocking_date     = 7 December 2020, 04:35:00&nbsp;UTC<ref>{{cite web|last=Krebs|first=Gunter D.|title=Chang'e 5, 6 (CE 5, 6)|publisher=Gunter's Space Page|access-date=January 3, 2023|url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/change-5.htm|archive-date=10 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110073916/https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/change-5.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
   | time_docked        =
 }}
{{Infobox spaceflight/IP
  | type            = flyby
  | object          = [[Moon]]
  | component       = orbiter 
  | arrival_date    = ~9 September 2021<ref name="spacenews.com">{{Cite web|date=2021-09-06|title=China's Chang'e-5 orbiter is heading back to the moon|url=https://spacenews.com/chinas-change-5-orbiter-is-heading-back-to-the-moon/|access-date=2021-09-08|website=SpaceNews|language=en-US|archive-date=30 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220830012320/https://spacenews.com/chinas-change-5-orbiter-is-heading-back-to-the-moon/|url-status=live}}</ref>
  }}
| programme = '''[[Chinese Lunar Exploration Program]]'''
| previous_mission = [[Chang'e 5T1]]
| next_mission = [[Queqiao-2]]
| previous_mission2      = [[Chang'e 5T1]]
| next_mission2          = [[Chang'e 6]]
| programme2             = '''Chang'e probes'''
}}
{{Chinese
|order=st
|s=嫦娥五号
|t=嫦娥五號
|p=Cháng'é wǔhào
}}

'''Chang'e 5''' ({{zh|s=嫦娥五号|hp=Cháng'é wǔhào}}{{noteTag|name=fn1|1=In [[Standard Chinese]], it is pronounced as '''Cháng'é'''.<ref name="muse_Proj">{{cite journal|title=China's Mid-Autumn Day|last=Lemei |first=Yang|publisher=Indiana University Press|journal=Journal of Folklore Research|volume=43|issue=3|pages=263–270|date=2006|doi=10.2979/JFR.2006.43.3.263|s2cid=161494297|access-date=21 December 2020 |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/209124/summary|quote=China's Mid-Autumn Day, a traditional occasion to celebrate family unity and harmony, is related to two Chinese tales. The first is the myth of Cháng'é, who flew to the moon, where she has dwelt ever since.}}</ref> Alternatively pronounced and spelled like '''Chang-Er''' in Malaysian Chinese.<ref>{{cite news|title=Of mooncakes and moon-landing|date=2020-09-27 |first=Gary Lit Ying|last=Loong|newspaper=New Straits Times|location=Malaysia|url=https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/sunday-vibes/2020/09/627612/mooncakes-and-moon-landing|access-date=27 November 2020|archive-date=15 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215210226/https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/sunday-vibes/2020/09/627612/mooncakes-and-moon-landing|url-status=live}}</ref>}}) was the fifth [[lunar exploration]] mission in the [[Chinese Lunar Exploration Program]] of [[China National Space Administration|CNSA]], and China's first lunar [[sample-return mission]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Liu|first1=Jianjun|last2=Zeng|first2=Xingguo|last3=Li|first3=Chunlai|last4=Ren|first4=Xin|last5=Yan|first5=Wei|last6=Tan|first6=Xu|last7=Zhang|first7=Xiaoxia|last8=Chen|first8=Wangli|last9=Zuo|first9=Wei|last10=Liu|first10=Yuxuan|last11=Liu|first11=Bin|date=February 2021|title=Landing Site Selection and Overview of China's Lunar Landing Missions|journal=Space Science Reviews|volume=217|issue=1|pages=6|doi=10.1007/s11214-020-00781-9|bibcode=2021SSRv..217....6L |s2cid=234037992 |issn=0038-6308|doi-access=free}}</ref> Like its predecessors, the spacecraft is named after the Chinese moon goddess, [[Chang'e]]. It launched at 20:30 [[UTC]] on 23 November 2020, from [[Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site]] on [[Hainan Island]], landed on the [[Moon]] on 1 December 2020, collected ~{{cvt|1731|g}} of [[lunar sample]]s (including from a core ~1 m deep),<ref>{{cite web|last=CNSA|title=China's Chang'e-5 retrieves 1,731 kilograms of moon samples|url=http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/english/n6465652/n6465653/c6810963/content.html|access-date=9 January 2021|archive-date=4 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210104192629/http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/english/n6465652/n6465653/c6810963/content.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Andrew|last=Jones|title=China says it's open to sharing moon rocks as Chang'e 5 samples head to the lab|url=https://www.space.com/china-sharing-chang-e-5-moon-samples|website=space.com|date=23 December 2020 |access-date=18 January 2021|archive-date=30 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220830012320/https://www.space.com/china-sharing-chang-e-5-moon-samples|url-status=live}}</ref> and returned to the [[Earth]] at 17:59 UTC on 16 December 2020.

Chang'e 5 was the first lunar sample-return mission since the [[Soviet Union]]'s [[Luna 24]] in 1976. New lunar minerals, including [[Changesite-(Y)]] and two different structures of the titanium compound Ti2O, were identified from the samples returned from the mission, making China the third country to discover a new lunar mineral.<ref>{{Cite web |author1=Andrew Jones |date=2022-09-12 |title=China discovers new moon mineral in lunar samples |url=https://www.space.com/china-new-lunar-mineral-chang-e |access-date=2024-06-27 |website=Space.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-07 |title=Chinese scientists may be a step closer to unravelling mystery of lunar surface |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3257914/chinese-scientists-find-two-new-minerals-moon-could-explain-mystery-lunar-landscape |access-date=2024-06-27 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}}</ref> The mission also made China the third country to return samples from the Moon after the United States and the Soviet Union.

== Overview ==
The [[Chinese Lunar Exploration Program]] has four phases, with incremental technological advancement:<ref name=":4">{{cite journal|last1=XU |first1=Lin|last2=PEI|first2=Zhaoyu|last3=ZOU |first3=Yongliao|last4=WANG|first4=Chi|title=China's Lunar and Deep Space Exploration Program for the Next Decade (2020–2030)|journal=Chinese Journal of Space Science|year=2020|volume=40 |issue=5 |pages=615–617| doi=10.11728/cjss2020.05.615|bibcode=2020ChJSS..40..615X |s2cid=256879221 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{cite journal|last1=Yang|first1=Ruihong|last2=Zhang|first2=Yuhua|last3=Kang|first3=Yan|last4=Wang|first4=Qian|last5=Ma|first5=Jinan|last6=Zou|first6=Yongliao|last7=He|first7=Huaiyu|last8=Wang|first8=Wei|last9=Zhang|first9=He|last10=Pei|first10=Zhaoyu|last11=Wang|first11=Qiong|date=2020-08-01|title=Overview of lunar exploration and International Lunar Research Station|url=http://engine.scichina.com/doi/10.1360/TB-2020-0582|journal=Chinese Science Bulletin|volume=65|issue=24|pages=2577–2586|doi=10.1360/TB-2020-0582|s2cid=225352892|issn=0023-074X|access-date=9 January 2021|archive-date=30 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220830012332/https://www.sciengine.com/CSB/doi/10.1360/TB-2020-0582;JSESSIONID=7508ab2b-ffe8-4f37-828f-c13118f148fd|url-status=live}}</ref>

* '''Phase one''': [[lunar orbit|orbit]]ing the Moon, completed by [[Chang'e 1]] in 2007<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Ziyuan|first1=Ouyang|last2=Chunlai|first2=Li|last3=Yongliao|first3=Zou|last4=Hongbo|first4=Zhang|last5=Chang|first5=Lu|last6=Jianzhong|first6=Liu|last7=Jianjun|first7=Liu|last8=Wei|first8=Zuo|last9=Yan|first9=Su|last10=Weibin|first10=Wen|last11=Wei|first11=Bian|date=2010-09-15|title=Chang'E-1 lunar mission: an overview and primary science results|url=http://www.cjss.ac.cn/CN/abstract/abstract1490.shtml|journal=空间科学学报|language=en, zh|volume=30|issue=5|pages=392–403|doi=10.11728/cjss2010.05.392|bibcode=2010ChJSS..30..392O |s2cid=256972045 |issn=0254-6124|access-date=9 January 2021|archive-date=11 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111144034/http://www.cjss.ac.cn/CN/abstract/abstract1490.shtml|url-status=live|doi-access=free}}</ref> and [[Chang'e 2]] in 2010.
* '''Phase two''': [[soft landing (aeronautics)|soft landing]] and deploying [[lunar rover|rover]] on the [[Moon]], completed by [[Chang'e 3]] (2013) <ref>{{cite journal|last1=Li|first1=Chunlai|last2=Liu|first2=Jianjun|last3=Ren|first3=Xin|last4=Zuo|first4=Wei|last5=Tan|first5=Xu|last6=Wen|first6=Weibin|last7=Li|first7=Han|last8=Mu|first8=Lingli|last9=Su|first9=Yan|last10=Zhang|first10=Hongbo|last11=Yan|first11=Jun|date=July 2015|title=The Chang'e 3 Mission Overview|url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11214-014-0134-7|journal=Space Science Reviews|volume=190|issue=1–4|pages=85–101|doi=10.1007/s11214-014-0134-7|bibcode=2015SSRv..190...85L |s2cid=117766265|issn=0038-6308|access-date=9 January 2021|archive-date=30 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220830012323/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11214-014-0134-7|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Chang'e 4]] (launched in December 2018, landed on the far side of the Moon in January 2019).<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Jia|first1=Yingzhuo|last2=Zou|first2=Yongliao|last3=Ping|first3=Jinsong|last4=Xue|first4=Changbin|last5=Yan|first5=Jun|last6=Ning|first6=Yuanming|date=November 2018|title=The scientific objectives and payloads of Chang'e 4 mission|journal=Planetary and Space Science|volume=162|pages=207–215|doi=10.1016/j.pss.2018.02.011|bibcode=2018P&SS..162..207J |s2cid=125669489 |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0032063317300211 |archive-date=30 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730135931/https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0032063317300211|url-status=live}}</ref>
* '''Phase three''': returning lunar samples, completed by Chang'e 5. The backup of Chang'e 5, the [[Chang'e 6]] mission, is also a lunar sample-return mission.
* '''Phase four''': [[in-situ resource utilization]], and constructing an [[International Lunar Research Station]] near the [[lunar south pole]].<ref name=":4"/>

The Chinese Lunar Exploration Program plan to lead to crewed missions in the 2030s.<ref name=":4"/><ref name=":5"/>
{{Multiple image
| image1            = Chang-e 5 assembly factory test 1.png
| caption1          = The Chang'e 5 Lander and Orbiter Combination assembly factory test.
| image2            = Chang-e 5 assembly factory test 3.png
| caption2          = Chang'e 5 in testing phase
| image3            = Chang-e 5 lander ascender assembly test.png
| caption3          = The Chang'e 5 ascender testing
| align             = center
}}

== Equipment ==
[[File:Change-5.png|thumb|Chang'e 5 launch configuration (from top):<br />Ascender (Ascent stage)<br />Lander (Lunar lander)<br />Re-Entry Capsule (Earth lander)<br />Orbiter (Orbital vehicle)]]

=== Components ===
The Chang'e 5 mission consists of four modules or components:
* '''[[Lander (spacecraft)|Lander]]''': landed on the [[lunar surface]] after separating from the [[Orbiter]], installed with a drill and a scooping device. The Ascender is on the top of the Lander.
* '''Ascender''': after sampling, the lunar samples were transported to a container within the Ascender. The Ascender launched from the lunar surface at 15:11 UTC, on 3 December 2020, followed by automatic [[lunar orbit rendezvous]] and docking with the Orbiter. After transferring the sample, the Ascender separated from the Orbiter, deorbited, and fell back down on the Moon at 22:49 UTC, on 6 December 2020, to avoid becoming [[space debris]].
* '''Orbiter''': after the samples were transported from the Ascender to the Orbiter, the Orbiter left lunar orbit and spent ~4.5 days flying back to [[Geocentric orbit|Earth orbit]] and released the Returner ([[reentry capsule]]) just before arrival.
* '''Returner''': The Returner performed a [[skip reentry]] to bounce off the atmosphere once before formal reentering.

The four components were launched together and flew to the Moon as a combined unit. After reaching lunar orbit (14:58 UTC, on 28 November 2020), the Lander/Ascender separated from the Orbiter/Returner modules (20:40 UTC, on 29 November 2020), and descended to the surface of the Moon (15:13 UTC, on 1 December 2020). After samples had been collected, the Ascender separated from the Lander (15:11 UTC, on 3 December 2020), lifted off to the Orbiter/Returner, docked with them, and transferred the samples to the Returner. The Ascender then separated from the Orbiter/Returner and crashed on the Moon (~30°S in latitude and 0° in longitude) at 22:49 UTC, on 8 December 2020. The Orbiter/Returner then returned to the [[Earth]], where the Returner separated and descended to the surface of the Earth at 17:59 UTC, on 16 December 2020.

The estimated launch mass of Chang'e 5 was {{cvt|8200|kg}},<ref>{{cite web|date=26 November 2020|title=十年铸器，嫦娥五号这些年|url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/xOo0111QseI6CoOurNwbDQ|url-status=live|access-date=29 November 2020|website=mp.weixin.qq.com|archive-date=15 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215210205/https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/xOo0111QseI6CoOurNwbDQ}}</ref> the Lander was projected to be {{cvt|3200|kg}}, and Ascender was about {{cvt|700|kg}}. Unlike Chang'e 4, which was equipped with a [[radioisotope heater unit]] to survive the extreme cold of lunar night, the Lander of Chang'e 5 stopped functioning in the following lunar night.

=== Scientific payloads ===
Chang'e 5 included four scientific payloads, including a Landing Camera, a Panoramic Camera, a Lunar Mineralogical Spectrometer,<ref>{{cite journal|last=Cai|first=Tingni|title=Experimental Ground Validation of Spectral Quality of the Chang'E-5 Lunar Mineralogical Spectrometer|journal=Spectroscopy and Spectral Analysis|volume=2019|issue=1|pages=257–262}}</ref> and a Lunar Regolith Penetrating Radar.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Xiao|first1=Yuan|last2=Su|first2=Yan|last3=Dai|first3=Shun|last4=Feng|first4=Jianqing|last5=Xing|first5=Shuguo|last6=Ding|first6=Chunyu|last7=Li|first7=Chunlai|date=May 2019|title=Ground experiments of Chang'e-5 lunar regolith penetrating radar|journal=Advances in Space Research|volume=63|issue=10|pages=3404–3419|doi=10.1016/j.asr.2019.02.001|bibcode=2019AdSpR..63.3404X |s2cid=127730975}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Li|first1=Yuxi|last2=Lu|first2=Wei|last3=Fang|first3=Guangyou|last4=Zhou|first4=Bin|last5=Shen|first5=Shaoxiang|date=April 2019|title=Performance verification of Lunar Regolith Penetrating Array Radar of Chang'e-5 mission|journal=Advances in Space Research|volume=63|issue=7|pages=2267–2278|doi=10.1016/j.asr.2018.12.012|bibcode=2019AdSpR..63.2267L |s2cid=125137061|url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0273117718309104 |archive-date=21 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621075836/https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0273117718309104|url-status=live}}</ref> Chang'e 5 collected samples using two methods, i.e., drilling for subsurface samples and scooping for surface samples. The scooping device was developed by [[Hong Kong Polytechnic University|The Hong Kong Polytechnic University]], consisting of Sampler A, Sampler B, Near-field Cameras, and Sealing and Packaging System.<ref>{{cite web|title=PolyU-made space instruments complete lunar sampling for Chang'e 5|url=https://www.polyu.edu.hk/en/media/media-releases/2020/1208_polyu_space_instruments_complete_lunar_sampling_for_chang_e-5/|access-date=9 January 2021|archive-date=11 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111133100/https://www.polyu.edu.hk/en/media/media-releases/2020/1208_polyu_space_instruments_complete_lunar_sampling_for_chang_e-5/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Mission profile ==
<gallery>
File:Chang'e-5_mission_profile.png|Chang'e-5 mission profile
File:“长五”送“嫦五” 开启中国首次地外天体采样返回之旅.webm|Sample-return mission
File:长征五号遥五运载火箭将嫦娥五号探测器发射升空.webm|Chang'e 5 launch
File:2020年12月17日 嫦娥五号“太空打水漂”返回地球 五星红旗永久留在月面.webm|Chang'e 5 returning
File:2020年12月18日 研制团队成员讲述嫦娥五号23天旅程.webm|Chang'e 5 23 days mission
</gallery>

=== Launch ===
[[File:Launch of Chang'e 5.png|thumb|Chang'e 5 was launched by a [[Long March 5]] Y-5 launch vehicle from [[Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site]]. ]]

Chang'e 5 was planned to be launched in November 2017 by the [[Long March 5]] rocket. However, a July 2017 failure of the referenced carrier rocket forced a delay on the original schedule two times until the end of 2020.<ref name="foust">{{cite web|last=Foust|first=Jeff|date=25 September 2017|title=Long March 5 failure to postpone China's lunar exploration program|url=http://spacenews.com/long-march-5-failure-to-postpone-chinas-lunar-exploration-program/|access-date=17 December 2017|publisher=SpaceNews|archive-date=30 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220830012321/https://spacenews.com/long-march-5-failure-to-postpone-chinas-lunar-exploration-program/|url-status=live}}</ref> On 27 December 2019, the Long March 5 successfully returned to service, thereby allowing the current mission to proceed after the [[Tianwen-1]] mission.<ref>{{cite web|date=2019-12-27|title=Successful Long March 5 launch opens way for China's major space plans|url=https://spacenews.com/successful-long-march-5-launch-opens-way-for-chinas-major-space-plans/|access-date=2023-01-02|publisher=SpaceNews|archive-date=6 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506222255/https://spacenews.com/successful-long-march-5-launch-opens-way-for-chinas-major-space-plans/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Chang'e 5 probe was launched at 20:30 UTC, on 23 November 2020, by a [[Long March 5]] Y-5 launch vehicle from the [[Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site]] on [[Hainan Island]].

=== Earth–Moon Transfer ===
[[File:Landepunkt Chang’e 5.jpg|thumb|Landing site of Chang'e 5 near the Louville Omega hill (Louville ω, from the nearby [[Louville]] crater)]]

After launch, Chang'e 5 applied its first orbital correction at 14:06 UTC, on 24 November 2020, second orbital correction at 14:06 UTC, on 25 November 2020, entered lunar orbit at 14:58 UTC, on 28 November 2020 (elliptical orbital), adjusted its orbit to a circular orbit at 12:23 UTC, on 29 November 2020, and the Lander/Ascender separated from the Orbiter/Returner at 20:10 UTC, on 29 November 2020, in preparation for landing.<ref>{{cite web|last=CNSA|title=Chinese lunar mission reaches vital stage|url=http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/english/n6465652/n6465653/c6810693/content.html|access-date=9 January 2021|archive-date=23 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220723151823/http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/english/n6465652/n6465653/c6810693/content.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Landing site ===
The Lander/Ascender landed on the Moon on 1 December 2020, at 15:11 UTC.<ref name=":2">{{cite news|last1=Myers|first1=Steven Lee|last2=Chang|first2=Kenneth|date=2020-12-01|title=China Lands Chang'e-5 Spacecraft on Moon to Gather Lunar Rocks and Soil|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/01/science/china-moon-landing.html|url-status=live|access-date=2020-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215210205/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/01/science/china-moon-landing.html|archive-date=15 December 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The Chang'e 5 landing site is at 43.1°N (in latitude), 51.8°W (in longitude) in the Northern [[Oceanus Procellarum]] near a huge volcanic complex, [[Mons Rümker]],<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Zhao|first1=Jiannan|last2=Xiao|first2=Long|last3=Qiao|first3=Le |last4=Glotch|first4=Timothy D.|last5=Huang|first5=Qian|date=27 June 2017|title=The Mons Rümker volcanic complex of the Moon: a candidate landing site for the Chang'e-5 mission|journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets|volume=122|issue=7|pages=1419–1442|bibcode=2017JGRE..122.1419Z|doi=10.1002/2016je005247|s2cid=9926094 |issn=2169-9097}}</ref> located in the northwest lunar near side.  The area is mapped as '[[Eratosthenian]] Mare' by the [[USGS]].<ref>[https://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/mapcatalog/UGM/ Unified Geologic Map of the Moon] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829221620/https://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/mapcatalog/UGM/ |date=29 August 2022 }}, C. M. Fortezzo, P. D. Spudis, S. L. Harrel, 2020.  United States Geological Survey.</ref> The Chang'e 5 landing site, named Statio Tianchuan,<ref>{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Andrew |url=https://www.space.com/china-chang-e-5-moon-landing-site-name |title=China's Chang'e 5 moon landing site finally has a name |work=[[Space.com]] |date=8 July 2021 |access-date=9 July 2021 |archive-date=8 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210708214715/https://www.space.com/china-chang-e-5-moon-landing-site-name |url-status=live }}</ref> is within the Procellarum KREEP Terrain,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Jolliff|first1=Bradley L.|last2=Gillis|first2=Jeffrey J.|last3=Haskin|first3=Larry A.|last4=Korotev|first4=Randy L.|last5=Wieczorek|first5=Mark A. |date=2000-02-25|title=Major lunar crustal terranes: Surface expressions and crust-mantle origins|journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets|volume=105 |issue=E2|pages=4197–4216|doi=10.1029/1999JE001103|bibcode=2000JGR...105.4197J |s2cid=85510409 |doi-access=free}}</ref> with elevated heat-producing elements, thin crust, and prolonged volcanism. This area is characterized by some of the youngest mare basalts on the Moon (~1.21 billion years old),<ref name=":0">{{cite journal|last1=Qian|first1=Y. Q.|last2=Xiao|first2=L.|last3=Zhao|first3=S. Y.|last4=Zhao|first4=J. N.|last5=Huang|first5=J.|last6=Flahaut|first6=J.|last7=Martinot |first7=M.|last8=Head|first8=J. W.|last9=Hiesinger|first9=H.|last10=Wang|first10=G. X.|date=June 2018|title=Geology and Scientific Significance of the Rümker Region in Northern Oceanus Procellarum: China's Chang'E-5 Landing Region|journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets|volume=123|issue=6|pages=1407–1430|doi=10.1029/2018JE005595|bibcode=2018JGRE..123.1407Q |s2cid=51754619 |doi-access=free}}</ref> with elevated [[titanium]], [[thorium]], and [[olivine]] abundances,<ref name=":0"/> which have never been sampled by the American [[Apollo program]] and the Soviet [[Luna programme]].<ref name=":1">{{cite journal|last1=Qian|first1=Yuqi|last2=Xiao|first2=Long|last3=Head|first3=James W.|last4=van der Bogert|first4=Carolyn H.|last5=Hiesinger|first5=Harald|last6=Wilson|first6=Lionel|date=February 2021|title=Young lunar mare basalts in the Chang'e-5 sample return region, northern Oceanus Procellarum|journal=Earth and Planetary Science Letters|volume=555|pages=116702|doi=10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116702|bibcode=2021E&PSL.55516702Q |s2cid=229938628|url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0012821X20306464 |archive-date=18 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118034407/https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0012821X20306464|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{Multiple image
| image1            = Chang'e 5 as seen by LRO 01.png
| caption1          = Photograph of the Chang'e 5 lander on the surface of the Moon taken by the [[NASA]] [[Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter]]
| image2            = 
| caption2          = Geological Map of the Chang'e 5 Landing Site.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Qian|first1=Yuqi|last2=Xiao|first2=Long|last3=Wang|first3=Qian|last4=Head|first4=James W.|last5=Yang|first5=Ruihong|last6=Kang|first6=Yan|last7=van der Bogert|first7=Carolyn H.|last8=Hiesinger|first8=Harald|last9=Lai|first9=Xiaoming|last10=Wang|first10=Guoxing|last11=Pang|first11=Yong|date=2021-05-01|title=China's Chang'e-5 landing site: Geology, stratigraphy, and provenance of materials|journal=Earth and Planetary Science Letters|language=en|volume=561|pages=116855|doi=10.1016/j.epsl.2021.116855|bibcode=2021E&PSL.56116855Q |s2cid=232318939|issn=0012-821X|doi-access=free}}</ref> This region is covered by widely-spread young mare basalts and Rima Sharp is the most distinct volcanic feature in the region.
| align             = center
}}

=== Back to Earth ===
[[File:Chang-e 5 back to CAST 2.png|thumb|Chang'e 5 return capsule transported back to [[China Academy of Space Technology|CAST]], where the sample container was unsealed]]
The Chang'e 5 Ascender lifted off from [[Oceanus Procellarum]] at 15:10 UTC, on 3 December 2020, and six minutes later, arrived in lunar orbit.<ref>{{cite web|last=Andrew|first=Jones|title=China's Chang'e 5 probe lifts off from moon carrying lunar samples|date=3 December 2020 |url=https://www.space.com/china-chang-e-5-moon-lander-launches-from-lunar-surface|access-date=2020-12-04|publisher=Space.com|archive-date=4 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204153627/https://www.space.com/china-chang-e-5-moon-lander-launches-from-lunar-surface|url-status=live}}</ref> The Ascender docked with the Orbiter/Returner combination in lunar orbit on 5 December 2020, at 21:42 UTC, and the samples were transferred to the return capsule at 22:12 UTC. The Ascender separated from the Orbiter/Returner combination on 6 December 2020, at 04:35 UTC.<ref>{{cite web|last=CNSA|title=Chang'e 5 mission continues as ascender separates|url=http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/english/n6465652/n6465653/c6810776/content.html|access-date=9 January 2021|archive-date=23 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123140802/http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/english/n6465652/n6465653/c6810776/content.html|url-status=live}}</ref> After completing its role of the mission, the Ascender was commanded to deorbit on 7 December 2020, at 22:59 UTC, and crashed into the Moon's surface at 23:30 UTC, in the area of (~30°S, 0°E).<ref>{{cite web|title=Chang'e-5 spacecraft smashes into moon after completing mission|date=8 December 2020 |url=https://spacenews.com/change-5-spacecraft-smashes-into-moon-after-completing-mission/|publisher=SpaceNews|access-date=2020-12-11}}</ref> On 13 December 2020, at 01:51 UTC, from a distance of 230 kilometers from the lunar surface, the Orbiter and Returner successfully fired four engines to enter the Moon-Earth [[Hohmann transfer orbit]].<ref>{{cite web|last=CNSA|title=Chang'e 5 set to start journey to Earth|url=http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/english/n6465652/n6465653/c6810775/content.html|access-date=9 January 2021|archive-date=23 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123134512/http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/english/n6465652/n6465653/c6810775/content.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The electronics and systems on the Chang'e 5 lunar lander were expected to cease working on 11 December 2020, due to the Moon's extreme cold and lack of a [[radioisotope heater unit]]. However, engineers were also prepared for the possibility that the Chang'e 5 lander could be damaged and stop working after acting as the [[launch pad|launchpad]] for the ascender module on 3 December 2020, as turned out to be the case.<ref name="spac_Chin">{{cite web|title=China's Chang'e 5 moon lander is no more after successfully snagging lunar rocks|last=Jones|first=Andrew|publisher=Space.com|date=14 December 2020|access-date=15 December 2020|url=https://www.space.com/china-chang-e-5-moon-lander-is-no-more|archive-date=15 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215210218/https://www.space.com/china-chang-e-5-moon-lander-is-no-more|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 16 December 2020, at around 18:00 UTC, the roughly {{cvt|300|kg}} return capsule performed a ballistic [[boost-glide|skip reentry]], in effect bouncing off the atmosphere over the [[Arabian Sea]] before re-entry. The capsule, containing around {{cvt|2|kg}} of drilled and scooped lunar material, landed in the grasslands of [[Siziwang Banner]] in the [[Ulanqab]] region of south central [[Inner Mongolia]]. Surveillance [[unmanned aerial vehicle|drone]]s spotted the Returner capsule prior to its touchdown, and recovery vehicles located the capsule shortly afterwards.<ref>{{cite web|last=CNSA|title=Chang'e 5's reentry capsule lands with moon samples|url=http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/english/n6465652/n6465653/c6810898/content.html|access-date=9 January 2021|archive-date=23 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123144535/http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/english/n6465652/n6465653/c6810898/content.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The next day, it was reported that Chang'e 5's service module had performed an atmospheric re-entry avoidance burn and had been on-course to an Earth–Sun L1 [[Lagrange point]] orbit as a part of its extended mission.

=== Extended mission ===
After dropping off the return samples for Earth, the Chang'e 5 (CE-5) orbiter was successfully captured by the [[Sun-Earth L1]] Lagrange point at 5:39 UTC, on 15 March 2021, and became the first Chinese spacecraft to orbit the Sun–Earth L1 Lagrange point. The distance at the time of capture was about 936,700 kilometers from Earth and the orbiter entered an orbit with a period of about 6 months.<ref>{{Cite web|title=中国首颗！嫦娥五号轨道器进入日地L1点探测轨道|url=http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MjM5Njc4ODY1MQ==&mid=2651929176&idx=1&sn=729713cb901f9614439c40a9f929f451&chksm=bd067a9c8a71f38a8d9aa22837d4d7a1a63dc3cbaf6c08c1359c116bc12fe50a05a53770546b#rd|access-date=2021-03-19|website=Weixin Official Accounts Platform|archive-date=30 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220830012324/https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MjM5Njc4ODY1MQ==&mid=2651929176&idx=1&sn=729713cb901f9614439c40a9f929f451&chksm=bd067a9c8a71f38a8d9aa22837d4d7a1a63dc3cbaf6c08c1359c116bc12fe50a05a53770546b#rd|url-status=live}}</ref> On its 88-day journey to L1, mission control conducted 2 orbital maneuvers and 2 trajectory correction maneuvers. It made a lunar flyby in an extended mission on 9 September 2021.<ref name="spacenews.com" />

In January 2022, CE-5 left the L1 point<ref name="ce5_extend" /> for the lunar [[distant retrograde orbit]] (DRO) to conduct [[very-long-baseline interferometry]] tests in preparation for the next stage of China's [[Chinese Lunar Exploration Program|Lunar Exploration Program]].<ref name="ce5_extend">{{cite web|url=https://spacenews.com/a-chinese-spacecraft-is-testing-out-a-new-orbit-around-the-moon/ |title=A Chinese spacecraft is testing out a new orbit around the moon |website=Space News |date=15 February 2022 |first=Andrew |last=Jones }}</ref><ref name="ce5_ov">{{cite web |url=https://www.planetary.org/space-missions/change-5 |title=Chang'e-5: China's Moon sample return mission |website=Planetary |access-date=4 December 2022 |archive-date=19 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119090809/https://www.planetary.org/space-missions/change-5 |url-status=live }}</ref> According to [[The Space Review]] (TSR), this maneuver was depicted in Chinese government and academic documents.<ref name=tsr20220411>{{cite news |title=The Space Review: What is China doing at the lunar distant retrograde orbit? |url=https://www.thespacereview.com/article/4365/1 |last=Burke |first=Kristin |date=11 April 2022 |access-date=2022-04-12 |work=[[The Space Review]] |archive-date=2022-04-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412050808/https://www.thespacereview.com/article/4365/1 |url-status=live }}</ref> In February 2022, multiple amateur satellite trackers observed that CE-5 had entered DRO, making it the first spacecraft in history to utilize the orbit.<ref name="ce5_extend" />

== Lunar sample research ==
{{See also|Changesite-(Y)}}
[[File:Chang'e 5 Moon Sample.png|thumb|left|alt=Lunar soil sample collected by China's Chang'e 5 mission displayed at Airshow China 2021.|Lunar soil sample collected by China's Chang'e 5 mission, displayed at [[Airshow China]] 2021]]
[[File:Chang'e-5_soil_samples.png|thumb|Soil samples studied by the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, [[Chinese Academy of Sciences]]]]
[[File:Heliumblasen.jpg|thumb|Helium-filled bubbles]]

The ~{{cvt|1731|g}} of lunar samples collected by Chang'e 5 have enormous scientific importance, due to their abnormally young ages (<2.0 billion years old).<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> In particular, they may provide insights on lunar chronology, petrogenesis, regional setting, geodynamic and thermal evolution, regolith formation, calibrating the lunar chronology function, constraining the lunar dynamo status, unraveling the deep mantle's properties, and assessing the Procellarum KREEP Terrain structures.<ref name=":1" />

Dating this relatively young part of the Moon's surface would provide an additional calibration point for estimating the surface ages of other [[Solar System]] bodies.<ref name=":3">{{cite web|last=Jones|first=Andrew|date=2020-12-16|title=China recovers Chang'e-5 then takes the Moon samples after complex 23-day mission|url=https://spacenews.com/china-recovers-change-5-moon-samples-after-complex-23-day-mission/|access-date=2023-01-02|publisher=SpaceNews}}</ref><ref name="BBC_16_Dec_2020">{{cite news|author=Jonathan Amos|date=16 December 2020|title=China's Chang'e-5 mission returns Moon samples|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-55323176 |url-status=live|access-date=17 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201216231050/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-55323176|archive-date=16 December 2020}}</ref> Wu Yanhua ({{lang|zh-hans|吴艳华}}), deputy director of the [[China National Space Administration]] (CNSA) announced that the new samples will be shared with the [[United Nations|UN]] and international partners for space research purposes.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Amos|first1=Jonathan|title=China's Chang'e-5 mission returns Moon samples|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-55323176|access-date=16 December 2020 |work=BBC News|archive-date=16 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201216162744/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-55323176|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=2020-12-17|title=China says it will share Chang'e 5 samples with global scientific community|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3114398/change-5-china-says-it-will-share-its-lunar-samples-global |access-date=2020-12-17|website=South China Morning Post|archive-date=17 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201217135219/https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3114398/change-5-china-says-it-will-share-its-lunar-samples-global|url-status=live}}</ref>

Preliminary analysis of the basalt lava samples taken from Oceanus Procellarum, led by the [[Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences]], determined the age of these rocks to be close to 1.96 billion years old, filling a critical age-gap of available lunar rock samples, which, among other applications, can assist in further calibrating planetary crater chronological tools.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Che|first1=Xiaochao|last2=Nemchin|first2=Alexander|last3=Liu|first3=Dunyi|last4=Long|first4=Tao|last5=Wang|first5=Chen|last6=Norman|first6=Marc D.|last7=Joy|first7=Katherine H.|author7-link=Katherine Joy |last8=Tartese|first8=Romain|last9=Head|first9=James|last10=Jolliff|first10=Bradley|last11=Snape|first11=Joshua F.|title=Age and composition of young basalts on the Moon, measured from samples returned by Chang'e-5|url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abl7957|journal=Science|year=2021|volume=374 |issue=6569 |pages=887–890|doi=10.1126/science.abl7957|pmid=34618547|bibcode=2021Sci...374..887C |s2cid=238474681 |access-date=12 October 2021|archive-date=12 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211012073447/https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abl7957|url-status=live}}</ref> The team discovered evidence of [[hydroxyl]] molecules in the samples through [[Reflectance|reflectance spectra]], indicating the likely presence of water molecules up to 120 ppm. The researchers postulated the water and hydroxyl molecules had been embedded in the lunar soil through [[solar wind]].<ref>{{cite journal | author = Lin, Honglie|display-authors=etal | title = In situ detection of water on the Moon by the Chang'E-5 lander | journal = [[Science Advances]] | date = January 7, 2022 | doi = 10.1126/sciadv.abl9174 | volume = 8 | issue = 1 |pages=eabl9174 |pmid=34995111 |pmc=8741181 |bibcode=2022SciA....8.9174L }}</ref>

== First Chinese flag on the Moon ==
Chang'e 5's lunar lander deployed the first Chinese flag on the Moon.<ref name="space.com">{{Cite web |date=2022-07-25 |title=China plants its flag on the moon with Chang'e 5 lunar lander (photo, video) {{!}} Space |website=[[Space.com]] |url=https://www.space.com/china-flag-on-moon-chang-e-5-lunar-landing |access-date=2022-07-25 |archive-date=25 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725003858/https://www.space.com/china-flag-on-moon-chang-e-5-lunar-landing |url-status=dead }}</ref> The flag was made from a composite material to withstand the Moon's harsh environment without fading or deforming.<ref name="space.com"/> Chinese scientists spent over a year testing dozens of possible materials for the flag.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Moore |first=Scott |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1316703008 |title=China's next act : how sustainability and technology are reshaping China's rise and the world's future |date=2022 |isbn=978-0-19-760401-4 |location=New York, NY |pages=128 |oclc=1316703008 |access-date=25 July 2022 |archive-date=24 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220724225154/https://www.worldcat.org/title/chinas-next-act-how-sustainability-and-technology-are-reshaping-chinas-rise-and-the-worlds-future/oclc/1316703008 |url-status=live }}</ref> Weighing only 12 grams, it can maintain its true colors under a temperature difference of plus or minus 150 degrees Celsius.<ref name="space.com"/>

== Related missions ==
[[File:Chang-e-5-Lander-Flag.png|thumb|Artist's impression of the lander on the Moon]]

=== Chang'e 5-T1 ===
{{main|Chang'e 5-T1}}

[[Chang'e 5-T1]] is an experimental robotic lunar mission as a preliminary to Chang'e 5 that was launched on 23 October 2014, to conduct [[Atmospheric entry|atmospheric re-entry]] tests on the capsule design that was planned to be used in the Chang'e 5 mission.<ref name=Launched>{{cite web|url=http://www.spaceflight101.com/change-5-test-mission-updates.html|title=Chinese Long March Rocket successfully launches Lunar Return Demonstrator |publisher=Spaceflight101.com|date=23 October 2014|access-date=30 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924104208/http://www.spaceflight101.com/change-5-test-mission-updates.html|archive-date=24 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2014-10/24/c_127134592.htm|title=China launches test return orbiter for lunar mission |publisher=Xinhuanet|date=24 October 2014|access-date=30 October 2014|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304105121/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2014-10/24/c_127134592.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Its service module, called DFH-3A, remained in orbit around the Earth before being relocated via [[Lagrangian point#L2|Earth–Moon L<sub>2</sub>]] to lunar orbit by 13 January 2015, where it is using its remaining 800&nbsp;kg of fuel to test maneuvers critical to future lunar missions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Chang'e 5 Test Mission Updates |url=http://www.spaceflight101.com/change-5-test-mission-updates.html|publisher=Spaceflight101.com|access-date=14 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924104208/http://www.spaceflight101.com/change-5-test-mission-updates.html|archive-date=24 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Chang'e 6 ===
{{main|Chang'e 6}}
Chang'e 6 is a follow-up mission by CNSA using the same mission architecture to return samples from the [[Far side of the Moon]]. It launched on 3 May 2024 and landed on the far side of the Moon on 1 June 2024 and returned back samples on 25 June 2024.<ref name="sn20240110">{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Andrew |url=https://spacenews.com/chinas-change-6-probe-arrives-at-spaceport-for-first-ever-lunar-far-side-sample-mission/ |title=China's Chang'e-6 probe arrives at spaceport for first-ever lunar far side sample mission |work=[[SpaceNews]] |date=10 January 2024 |access-date=10 January 2024 |archive-date=3 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240503100724/https://spacenews.com/chinas-change-6-probe-arrives-at-spaceport-for-first-ever-lunar-far-side-sample-mission/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="nextspaceflight20240503">{{cite web |url= https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/2669 |title= Long March 5 - Chang'e 6 |website= nextspaceflight.com |access-date= May 3, 2024 |archive-date= April 29, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240429095929/https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/2669 |url-status= live }}</ref>

== International collaboration ==

The [[European Space Agency]] (ESA) had supported the Chang'e 5 mission by providing tracking via ESA's [[Guiana Space Centre|Kourou station]], located in [[French Guiana]]. ESA tracked the spacecraft during the launch and landing phases while providing on-call backup for China's ground stations throughout the mission. Data from the Kourou station had helped the mission control team at the [[Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center]] to determine the spacecraft's health and orbit status. Chang'e 5 was returned to Earth on 16 December 2020. During the landing phase, ESA used its [[Maspalomas Station]], located in the [[Canary Islands]] and operated by the [[Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial]] (INTA) in Spain, to support the tracking efforts.<ref name="ESATracking">{{cite web|title=ESA tracks Chang'e-5 Moon mission|url=https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2020/11/ESA_tracks_Chang_e-5_Moon_mission|website=esa.int|publisher=European Space Agency|access-date=19 November 2020|archive-date=15 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215210221/https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2020/11/ESA_tracks_Chang_e-5_Moon_mission|url-status=live}}</ref>

== International reactions to mission and samples ==
Many media commentators discussed Chang'e 5's in comparison to that of the last successful sample return oriented lunar missions in the 20th century, which were those conducted by the American [[Apollo program]] and the Soviet [[Luna programme]] in the 1960–70s, that involved [[Luna 15]], [[Luna 16]], and [[Luna 24]] being sent to the Moon. Notably, the Luna 16 mission successfully returned about 100 grams of lunar soil a year later and two other sample return missions succeeded in subsequent years, the last one since Chang'e 5 being Luna 24 in 1976.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2020-12-16 |title=China's Chang'e-5 mission returns Moon samples |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55323176 |access-date=2023-07-26 |archive-date=18 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218224026/https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55323176 |url-status=live }}</ref> 

The moon rocks that the mission returned to Earth were commended to be "the perfect sample to close a 2-billion-year gap" in the understanding of lunar geology.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ogliore |first=Talia |date=2021-10-07 |title=Chang'e-5 samples reveal key age of moon rocks - The Source - Washington University in St. Louis |url=https://source.wustl.edu/2021/10/change-5-samples-reveal-key-age-of-moon-rocks/ |access-date=2023-07-26 |website=The Source |language=en-US |archive-date=26 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726235734/https://source.wustl.edu/2021/10/change-5-samples-reveal-key-age-of-moon-rocks/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The open access to the samples by CNSA to a consortium of scientists from Australia, US, UK, and Sweden were hailed as "science done in the ideal way: an international collaboration, with free sharing of data and knowledge—and all done in the most collegial way possible. This is diplomacy by science," by Brad Jolliff, director of the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences at [[Washington University in St. Louis]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Louis |first=Washington University in St |title=Samples returned by Chang'e-5 reveal key age of moon rocks |url=https://phys.org/news/2021-10-change-samples-reveal-key-age.html |access-date=2023-07-26 |website=phys.org |language=en |archive-date=26 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726235735/https://phys.org/news/2021-10-change-samples-reveal-key-age.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Chinese space program]]
* [[Chinese Lunar Exploration Program]] (CLEP) 
* [[Exploration of the Moon]]
* [[List of missions to the Moon]]
* [[List of artificial objects on the Moon]]
* [[Lunar resources]]
* [[Moon landing]]

== Notes ==
{{NoteFoot}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* [https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00683-6 China’s first Moon rocks ignite research bonanza] at [[Nature (journal)|Nature]]

{{-}}
{{Moon spacecraft}}
{{CLEP}}
{{Chinese spacecraft}}
{{Solar System probes}}
{{Orbital launches in 2020}}
{{2020 in space}}
{{Portal bar|China|Astronomy|Stars|Spaceflight|Solar System|Science}}

[[Category:Chinese Lunar Exploration Program]]
[[Category:Missions to the Moon]]
[[Category:Sample return missions]]
[[Category:Chinese space probes]]
[[Category:Space probes launched in 2020]]
[[Category:2020 in China]]
[[Category:2020 on the Moon]]
[[Category:Spacecraft launched by Long March rockets]]
[[Category:Spacecraft which reentered in 2020]]
[[Category:Soft landings on the Moon]]