China's Chang'e 5-T1 experimental spacecraft returned these spectacular images to control center in Beijing this week.
The unmanned lunar mission was launched October 23 to conduct crucial atmospheric re-entry tests on the capsule design planned for use in the Chang'e 5 unmanned lunar exploration mission, which is expected to land on the moon by 2017.
The Chang'e 5 will be China's first sample return mission, aiming to return at least two kilograms of lunar soil and rock samples back to the Earth.
After a second surface sample return mission — Chang'e 6 — in 2020, China then plans to put its first man on the moon between 2025 and 2030.
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