The orbiter-returner combination of China's Chang'e-5 probe on Saturday completed an orbital maneuver as it prepares to leave the lunar orbit for a trajectory that returns it to earth, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
The orbiter-returner combination of China's Chang'e-5 probe leaves a nearly circular orbit (red) for an elliptical orbit with a perilune altitude of about 200 km (green). /CNSA
After six days of waiting in the lunar orbit, the combination carrying the lunar samples conducted the maneuver at 9:54 a.m. Beijing Time on Saturday, transferring to an elliptical orbit with a perilune altitude of about 200km, said CNSA.
The maneuver is aimed at entering the moon-Earth transfer orbit.
A second such attempt will be carried out in the following days to escape the moon's gravity and enter the trajectory to return to Earth.