The landing vehicle used in China's moon mission successfully docked with its spacecraft in lunar orbit late Sunday.
The spacecraft is returning home - bringing with it the first samples from the moon in more than 40 years. The final leg of its 23-day journey will see it land Dec. 17. The Chang'e 5 will first bounce off the earth's atmosphere to help it slow before reentry.
The Chang'e 5 ascent vehicle connection with the orbital spacecraft was China's first robotic rendezvous in lunar orbit.
"In terms of the space tasks that humans have performed so far, only the Apollo program missions have completed the rendezvous and docking in lunar orbit. However, unmanned rendezvous and docking have never been done before," the China Academy of Space Technology said.
The China lunar exploration program launched the Chang'e 5 spacecraft late November. It landed on the moon Dec. 1 - China's third lunar landing. During its time on the moon the craft collected 2 kilograms of soil samples.
China's National Space Administration plans to use what it learned for future manned missions. Officials said that the successful mission provided a technical foundation for future projects - which include manned lunar missions and deep space exploration.
Samples collected from the moon will be subjected to radiometric and isotopic tests.
Last week, China news media released images of the lunar landing - including the Chang'e 5's liftoff. Right before the ascent vehicle left the lunar surface, the spacecraft planted a flag on the moon. The China space administration said it was the first free-standing China flag on the moon and a symbol of the success of the country's aerospace program.
