BEIJING, Dec 19 (Xinhua): China's Chang'e-5 probe retrieved about 1,731 grams of samples from the moon, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
At a ceremony on Saturday morning, Zhang Kejian, head of the CNSA, handed over the samples to Hou Jianguo, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attended the ceremony. He hailed the Chang'e-5 lunar mission as an important milestone in building China's strength in aerospace.
Liu also asked to organise the collaboration and cooperation in tackling lunar sample research difficulties and contribute Chinese wisdom to deepening the scientific understanding of the universe's formation and evolution.