China has embarked on an ambitious mission to bring back material from the lunar surface for the first time in more than 40 years.
Chang 5 – This is named after the Chinese moon goddess The most courageous lunar mission in the country.
If successful, it would be a major breakthrough for China’s space program, and some experts say it could pave the way for bringing samples from Mars or even a crewed lunar mission.
Four modules of the Chang’e 5 spacecraft crashed into the top of a giant Long March-5Y rocket from a launch center off the coast of the southern island province of Henan.
Minutes after the liftoff, the spacecraft detached from the first and second stages of the rocket and slipped into the Earth-Moon transfer orbit. The spacecraft usually takes three days to reach the moon.
The main task of the mission is to drill two meters below the surface of the moon and bring back about 2 kg of rocks and other debris to Earth, according to NASA. It will give scientists the first opportunity to study newly acquired lunar material since American and Russian missions in the 1960s and 1970s.
The time of Chang 5 Lander on the moon will be short and sweet. It can only last one lunar day or about 14 Earth days, as it lacks radioisotope heating units to cope with the moon’s chilly night.
The lander will dig for the material with his drill and robotic arm and transfer it to the so-called climbing place, which will lift it from the moon and dock it with a service capsule. The material will then be moved to a return capsule to be pulled back to Earth.
The mission is one of the bravest in China since it first launched a man into space in 2003, becoming the third nation to do so after the US and Russia.
China’s crewed spacecraft achievements, including building an experimental space station and operating a spacewalk, reproducing other countries for many years, the China National Space Administration is moving into a new field.
China became one of three countries to launch a mission to Mars in July, an orbiter and a rover that will search for water signs on the red planet. Officials say the spacecraft Tianwen was due to arrive on Mars around Feb. 1.
China is increasingly engaged on missions with foreign countries, and the European Space Agency will provide information on important ground stations for Changi 5.
More: Jupiter’s moon Europa will glow in the dark
More: When was the last full moon on Halloween and what does the Blue Moon mean?
Get the latest news, realization, good stories, analysis and more for your essential-to-know
Freelance twitter maven. Infuriatingly humble coffee aficionado. Amateur gamer. Typical beer fan. Avid music scholar. Alcohol nerd.
