* The Chang'e-5 space probe has returned home after launching to the moon
* It touched down on Earth at 1:30am local time Thursday in an open area
* The probe is carrying soil and rocks from the moon's surface
* These are the first samples returned since the Soviet Luna 24 probe in 1976
Chinese Chang'e-5 probe has officially completed its mission - the return capsule touched down in the Siziwang district around 1:30 local time Thursday.
Stowed on board are lunar rocks and soil for what is the first mission to retrieve samples from the moon since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 project in 1976.
The 661-pound structure performed a skip re-entry by bouncing off the Earth's atmosphere over the Arabian Sea to reduce its speed before passing through and floating down attached to parachutes.
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More News On China's Moon-Space Program
China Moon Mission Brings Lunar Rocks to Earth, and New Competition to Space -- New York Times China's Chang'e-5 lunar probe successfully delivers moon samples to Earth -- CNN
China brings moon rocks back to Earth in a first for the country as space race with U.S. heats up -- CNBC
