China's Chang'e-5 spacecraft returning to Earth with Moon samples: Report

China's state media said today that China's lunar probe Chang'e-5 is on its way back to Earth after completing Moon sampling.

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Chang'e-5 was due to collect two kilograms of material from an area known in the Moon known as "Ocean of Storms".

It is China's first attempt to collect Moon sampling and the first since the former Soviet Union's Luna 24 mission in 1976.

The Moon samples were collected by a robotic vehicle with the sample collection taking upto 19 hours, China's space agency informed. Chinese space scientists have put the return capsule onboard the orbiting module for delivery back to Earth.

It is China's first lunar landing since 2013. In January 2019, the Chang'e-4 probe had landed on the far side of the Moon. Chang'e-5 probe had landed on the Moon last Tuesday and had begun drilling on the surface of the Moon hours after landing. The mission is meant to help scientists learn more about the Moon's origins.

Chinese foreign ministry said the mission was "revolutionary in increasing human understanding of the history of the Moon."

The spacecraft is set to land in northern China's Inner Mongolia region.