Chang'e 5
Chang'e 5 collected and returned young lunar material from Oceanus Procellarum to Earth.
The mission in three questions
- How young were basalt flows in this part of Oceanus Procellarum?
- Could an autonomous robotic system collect, launch, rendezvous and return lunar samples?
- How would new radiometric ages improve the crater-count chronology used across the Solar System?
Mission purpose and context
Chang'e 5 returned lunar samples to Earth for the first time since the Soviet Luna 24 mission in 1976. Its landing site in Oceanus Procellarum was selected to obtain material substantially younger than most Apollo and Luna samples.
Spacecraft and mission architecture
The mission used an orbiter, lander, ascent vehicle and Earth-return capsule. The lander collected surface and drilled material; the ascent stage launched the samples from the Moon and rendezvoused with the orbiter before the return capsule headed to Earth.
Payload and measurement highlights
- A drill and surface sampling system collected material from different depths and contexts.
- Landing cameras and compositional instruments documented the sampling site.
- The mission used separate lander, ascent, orbiter and return elements to complete the sample-return chain.
Flight and surface operations
Launched in November 2020, Chang'e 5 landed near Mons Rümker, collected approximately 1.7 kg of material, completed the first robotic lunar-orbit rendezvous associated with sample return, and delivered the capsule to Earth in December.
Mission sequence
- 23 November 2020: launched China's first lunar sample-return mission.
- 1 December: landed in northern Oceanus Procellarum and collected surface and drilled material.
- An ascent vehicle launched samples from the Moon, transferred them in lunar orbit and the return capsule landed in China on 16-17 December.
Science and measurements
Laboratory dating showed that sampled basalts are around two billion years old, extending the radiometric calibration of lunar crater chronology into a period poorly represented by Apollo samples. Chemical and mineral studies also constrain how long lunar volcanism persisted.
What changed because of this mission
Chang'e 5 demonstrated a complex robotic sample-return chain and showed why geographically targeted new samples can change global interpretations of lunar chronology.
Mission outcome
It was the first lunar sample-return mission since Luna 24 and supplied new material for laboratory studies of lunar chronology and volcanism.
The outcome should be read against the mission's actual objectives and architecture. Multi-element missions can have different results for an orbiter, lander, rover or sample-return stage, while a shortened mission can still return important science or demonstrate a critical technology.
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