Moon rocks collected by China's mission handed to research teams

More than one and a half kilos of moon rock and dust brought back by China's Chang'e 5 probe were officially handed over to research teams on Saturday, initiating work on storage, analysis, and research. The lunar samples, weighing 1,731 grams, were handed over to the National Astronomical Observatories at a handover ceremony in Beijing.

After the ceremony, researchers transferred them to the Lunar Sample Laboratory at the National Astronomical Observatory, a facility built for the storage, processing and analysis of the samples.

China launched the Chang'e 5 probe on November 24. The return section carrying the lunar samples landed as planned in China's inner Mongolia region on Thursday. It was then airlifted to Beijing, where the lunar sample container was recovered.