A Chinese space capsule bringing back the initial moon rocks in more than 4 decades has begun its return to Earth.
The Chang’e 5 lunar probe left the moon’s orbit on Sunday morning by activating 4 engines for about 22 minutes, the China National Space Administration mentioned in a social media post.
The mission landed on the moon earlier this month and collected about 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of samples.
The return capsule is anticipated to land in northern China in the Inner Mongolia area right after a 3-day journey.
The material would be the initial brought back because the Soviet Union’s Luna 24 probe in 1976.