China's Chang'e-5 probe successfully returns with lunar samples

China's Chang'e-5 lunar probe successfully returned to home with samples on Thursday morning, Beijing Time, after weeks of space travel.

It landed at the designated landing site in Siziwang Banner in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Chang'e-5 brought back the first fresh samples of rock and debris from the Moon in more than four decades. Comprising a lander, an ascender, an orbiter and a returner, the Chang'e-5 probe was launched on November 24. Its lander-ascender combination successfully landed on the near side of the moon on December 1, and collected samples from both the lunar surface and beneath. Video: China Central Television (CCTV) via Reuters