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Chinese sample return capsule lands on Earth after round-trip flight to moon
A capsule containing moon rocks landed in a remote, snow-covered corner of China Wednesday, bringing home the first samples from the lunar surface in 44 years and completing the Chinese space program's most challenging robotic mission to date.
Chinese spacecraft heading back to Earth with lunar samples
A Chinese spacecraft ferrying rocks drilled from the moon’s surface is on course to land back on Earth Wednesday and deliver the first fresh lunar samples to scientists since the 1970s.
Scientists thrilled with asteroid treasure returned by Japanese spacecraft
Japanese space agency officials said Tuesday they found a "large number" of pitch black rock and dust particles after opening a capsule returned to Earth earlier this month by the Hayabusa 2 mission, giving eager scientists their first significant specimens ever brought back from an asteroid.
Chinese mission accomplishes first-ever robotic docking in lunar orbit
The Chinese Chang'e 5 mission accomplished the first robotic docking between two spacecraft orbiting the moon Saturday, when a lunar ascent spacecraft linked up with an Earth return vehicle and transferred a container of moon rocks to bring home in mid-December.
Japanese capsule carrying asteroid rocks lands in Australia after six-year mission
An armored re-entry capsule carrying pristine specimens from an asteroid streaked into Earth's atmosphere and parachuted to a landing in the Australian outback Saturday, bringing home extraterrestrial rocks that could hold clues to the origin of life on Earth.
VideoLive coverage: Hayabusa 2 asteroid sample return capsule lands in Australia
Japan's Hayabusa 2 mission returned to Earth Saturday after a six-year mission to collect samples from asteroid Ryugu. The mission's sample return capsule landed in in the Australian outback around shortly before 1 p.m. EST (1800 GMT) Saturday.
VideoJapanese asteroid sampling mission on course for return to Earth
Six years after departing Earth, Japan's Hayabusa 2 spacecraft released a spinning capsule Saturday containing pristine asteroid material for a scorching re-entry and landing in the remote Australian outback, where teams are standing by to retrieve the specimens for analysis.
China’s Chang’e 5 sample return craft takes off from the moon
Wrapping up a busy two days on the lunar surface, a Chinese spacecraft carrying moon soil took off from a makeshift launch pad and fired back into orbit Thursday on the first leg of its journey back to Earth.
Chinese probe completes sample collection work on lunar surface
Chinese officials said the Chang'e 5 mission finished drilling and scooping samples from a lunar lava plain late Wednesday, hours before the spacecraft's robotic ascender was due to take off from the moon to begin the trip back to Earth.
VideoVideo replay of Chang’e 5’s landing on the moon
The China National Space Administration released an accelerated video replay of the Chang'e 5 spacecraft's landing in the Oceanus Procellarum region of the moon Tuesday.