China's Chang'e-5 probe decelerates again

China's Chang'e-5 probe performed braking for the second time at 20:23 p.m. Sunday (Beijing Time), according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

This image from video animation is provided by the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC). China's Chang'e-5 probe performed braking for the second time at 20:23 p.m. Sunday (Beijing Time), according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). After the deceleration, the probe started flying in a near circular orbit from an elliptical path around the moon, said the CNSA. [Photo/BACC/Handout via Xinhua]

After the deceleration, the probe started flying in a near circular orbit from an elliptical path around the moon, said the CNSA.

In the next step, the lander-ascender combination of the spacecraft will separate from its orbiter-returner combination.

The lander-ascender combination will execute a soft landing on the moon to collect the country's first samples from an extraterrestrial body.

The probe decelerated for the first time and entered the lunar orbit on Saturday.