BEIJING — China's Chang'e-5 probe completed its second orbital correction on the moon-Earth transfer orbit on the morning of Dec 16, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

The orbital correction was conducted at 9:15 am (Beijing Time) when the two 25N engines on the orbiter-returner combination were operational for about eight seconds.

The CNSA said all systems on the orbiter-returner combination are currently in good condition.

The orbiter-returner combination entered the moon-Earth transfer orbit on Dec 13 and completed its first orbital correction on Dec 14.

The orbiter and returner will separate from one another at the appropriate time, according to the CNSA. The returner is expected to land at the Siziwang Banner in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

Meanwhile, the preset landing site in Siziwang Banner is ready for the homecoming, the mission's search and retrieval team said on Dec 15.

Chang'e-5 is one of the most complicated and challenging missions in China's aerospace history. It is also the world's first moon-sample mission in more than 40 years.

The Chang'e-5 probe, comprising an orbiter, a lander, an ascender and a returner, was launched on Nov 24, and its lander-ascender combination touched down on the north of the Mons Rumker in Oceanus Procellarum, also known as the Ocean of Storms, on the near side of the moon on Dec 1.