Keypoints:
- China has launched a spacecraft to the moon to bring back lunar rocks in the first attempt.
- Also,China draws up plans for future lunar exploration.
A spacecraft has been launched by China to the moon to bring back lunar rocks in the first attempt by any nation to retrieve samples from Earth’s natural satellite since the 1970s.
China successfully launches its first unmanned space mission to collect samples from the moon’s surface and return to Earth.
This is China’s maiden attempt to retrieve materials from am extra terrestrial body.
On Tuesday, State run CGTN reported that China successfully launched the Chang’e-5 lunar probe from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern province of Hainan. The spacecraft was launched by a long March-5 rocket at 04:30 am (Beijing Time).
THE CHANG’E-5 MISSION TO MOON
Chang’e-5 comprises of an orbiter, a lander, an ascender and a returner. It has a total take off mass of 8.2 tonnes and is expected to accomplish unmanned rendezvous and docking in lunar orbit.
Once it enters the lunar orbit, the lander-ascender combination will separate from the orbiter-retuner combination.
While the orbiter-returner orbits about 200 km above the lunar surface, the lander-ascender will touch down on the northwest region of Oceanus Procellarum, also known as the Ocean of Storms, on the near side of the moon in early December, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Within 48 hours, a robotic arm will be extended to scoop up rocks and regolith on the lunar surface, and a drill will bore into the ground. About 2 kg of samples are expected to be collected and sealed in a container in the spacecraft.
Then the ascender will take off, and dock with the orbiter-returner in orbit. After the samples are transferred to the returner, the ascender will separate from the orbiter-returner.
When the geometric relationship between Earth and the moon is suitable, the orbiter will carry the returner back to the planet. The returner will re-enter the atmosphere and land at the Siziwang Banner in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The whole flight will last for more than 20 days.
SPECIALTY ABOUT CHANG’E-5 MISSION
It has been named after the legendary Chinese moon goddess. Chang’e-5 is one of the most complicated and challenging missions in China’s aerospace history and also it is the world’s first moon-sample mission in more than 40 years.
China has chosen a complicated technological approach including unmanned rendezvous and docking in lunar orbit, which could bring back more samples and lay a technological foundation for manned lunar missions, according to Pei Zhaoyu, deputy director of the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Centre of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), ahead of the launch.
Pei added that the mission will help promote China’s science and technology development and lay an important foundation for China’s future manned lunar landing and deep space exploration.
IF THE MISSION SUCCEEDS…
Pei said that the main aim of programme is for China to acquire the basic technologies of unmanned lunar exploration with limited investment.
Pei said if the Chang’e-5 mission succeeds, China’s current lunar exploration project would come to a successful conclusion.
The three-step lunar exploration programme, which began in 2004, includes orbiting and landing on the moon along with bringing back samples.
“Unmanned rendezvous and docking in lunar orbit will be a historic first. It will be very difficult,” said Peng Jing, deputy chief designer of the Chang’e-5 probe from the China Academy of Space Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
The scientific goals of the Chang’e-5 mission include the investigation of the landing area to obtain the on-site analysis data related to the lunar samples, as well as systematic and long-term laboratory analysis of the lunar samples.
The landing site of Chang’e-5 will be to the west of that of Chang’e-3, which went to the moon in 2013.This site is chosen because the region has a young geological age, younger than the sampling areas of the United States and the Soviet Union 40 years ago. This region has never been sampled. The new samples will be of great scientific value, Chinese experts said.
“Domestic and overseas scientists will all have a chance to get the lunar samples to be brought back by Chang’e-5 for research,” Pei added.
