China's Chang'e 5 probe lands on moon, starts surface operations

This photo taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center shows an image of China's Chang'e 5 robotic lunar probe landing on the moon on Dec 1, 2020. - Xinhua

BEIJING (China Daily/ANN): At the climax of a landmark mission, China's Chang'e 5 robotic lunar probe has started gathering lunar rocks and soil after landing on the moon late on Tuesday (Dec 1) night.

Chang'e 5 is expected to work for about two days in a region to the north of Mons Ruemker, a mountain overlooking a vast lunar mare called Oceanus Procellarum, or the Ocean of Storms, on the western edge of the moon's near side.