spacetoday.net: Chinese spacecraft returns from circumlunar mission

Posted: Sat, Nov 1, 2014, 9:09 AM ET (1309 GMT)
Xiaofei (Change-5T1) spacecraft after landing (Xinhua)

A Chinese spacecraft landed Saturday after completing a trip around the Moon, a test for a future sample return mission. The spacecraft, previously designated Chang'e-5T1 but called "Xiaofei" ("little flyer") in Chinese media reports, landed in a designated zone in China's Inner Mongolia region, 500 kilometers from Beijing, at 6:42 pm EDT Friday (2242 GMT Friday, 6:42 am Saturday Beijing time). The spacecraft, launched October 24, was sent on a mission to fly around the Moon and return to Earth to test reentry and navigation technologies. The mission was a technology demonstrator for Chang'e-5, a Chinese mission planned for launch in 2017 that will collect lunar samples and return them to Earth.