On December 17, Chang'e-5 realized the return of extraterrestrial celestial bodies in my country for the first time. Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the People's Republic of China, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, sent a congratulatory message, extending warm congratulations and sincere greetings to all comrades who participated in the Chang'e-5 mission on behalf of the Party Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission. President Xi Jinping on Dec 17 congratulated the complete success of the Chang'e-5 mission that brings back the country's first samples collected from the moon. On behalf of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission (CMC), Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the CMC, extended warm congratulations and since greetings to all members who participated in the Chang'e-5 mission in a congratulatory message.
In the early morning of December 17, 2020, the Chang'e-5 returner carried lunar samples and reentered in a semi-ballistic jump method, landing safely in the pre-ordered area of Siziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia. (Picture source: Xinhua News Agency)
[Knowledge Point] China's lunar exploration project was officially launched on January 23, 2004 and is divided into three parts: orbit, fall and return. "Orc" means launching lunar satellites. Chang'e-1 and Chang'e-2 have been realized in 2007 and 2010 respectively. "Flooding" means soft landing on the surface of the moon. Chang'e-3 achieved soft landing on the front of the moon in 2013. Chang'e-4 also achieved soft landing on the back of the moon in 2019 and carried out scientific exploration on the back of the moon. This is the first time in the world. "Return" means returning to Earth from the surface of the moon. This is the mission performed by Chang'e-5, bringing 2 kilograms of lunar soil samples back to Earth. The Chang'e-5 probe has gone through 11 stages of launching into orbit, earth-to-moon transfer, near-moon braking, lunar flight, landing and descent, lunar surface work, lunar surface ascending, rendezvous docking and sample transfer, lunar waiting, lunar ground transfer, and reentry and recycling. It took 23 days and achieved many major breakthroughs in my country's first lunar surface sampling and packaging, lunar surface takeoff, lunar orbit rendezvous docking, and carrying sample reentry and return. Its successful implementation marks the completion of the three-step plan for "orbiting, falling, and returning" of my country's lunar exploration project as scheduled.
[Important Speech] As the space system project with the highest complexity and largest technical span in my country, the Chang'e-5 mission has realized the return of extraterrestrial celestial bodies for the first time. This is another major achievement in leveraging the advantages of the new national system to overcome difficulties. It marks a major step forward for China's aerospace and will contribute to deepening human scientific understanding of the causes of the moon and the evolution of the solar system. As China's most complicated space project, the Chang'e-5 mission has achieved the extraterrestrial sampling and returning for the first time. It is another major achievement in overcoming difficulties by giving full play to the advantages of the new nationwide system, marking a great step forward in China's space industry. This will contribute to deepening the understanding of the origin of the moon and the evolution history of the solar system.——On December 17, 2020, Xi Jinping called on behalf of the Party Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission to congratulate the Chang'e-5 mission of the lunar exploration project on its successful success
[Related words] lunar exploration project lunar exploration project 1
unmanned rendezvous and docking
Extraterrestrial sampling and returning
