On December 19, 2020, Zhang Kejian, Director of the China National Space Administration and Commander-in-Chief of the Lunar Exploration Project, handed over the sample container of Chang'e-5 and the sample certificates to Hou Jianguo, President and Party Secretary of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. This marked the official transition of the Chang'e-5 mission from the engineering implementation phase to a new stage of scientific research.

After the return of Chang'e-5, the lunar soil was divided into three parts, one of which was placed under the custody of the National Astronomical Observatories of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

According to preliminary measurements, approximately 1,731 grams of lunar samples were collected by the Chang'e-5 mission. At present, the samples have been safely delivered to the Lunar Sample Laboratory at the National Astronomical Observatories of China.

(Source: China Youth Daily Client)