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China seeks to make history in space exploration (once again). In the last few hours he has successfully launched his latest lunar mission, with the purpose of bringing rocks and lunar samples to earth. If successful, it will be the third country in the world to do so in human history. A result previously achieved only by the United States and the Soviet Union, now dismantled.
The launch took place from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in the coastal area of China. According to state media it was a success and the Long March 5 missile (Chang Zheng 5 if we translate it directly from Chinese) launched the Chang’e-5 probe into orbit. An 8.2-ton ship whose mission is to reach the Moon, collect samples and return to Earth with them.
The third country in history
If the mission is successful China will become the third country to bring lunar samples to our planet. Both the United States and the Soviet Union did this in the 1960s and 1970s, and no one else has since.
The Chang’e-5 spacecraft will land (land for the most demanding palates) in an area near Mons Rümker. It is a volcanic formation located in the Oceanus Procellarum region, the western edge of the visible side of the Moon. It should arrive on November 27th and you’ll have to hurry to collect the samples. Unlike other Chinese ships on the Moon, the Chang’e-5 is not equipped to withstand the extreme cold of the Moon, so it must complete the mission in about 14 Earth days (the time that lasts a day on the Moon).
The ship tries to extract about 2 kilograms of samples from the moon to be collected by drilling the surface about two meters deep. Once the samples are obtained, a complex climb maneuver will have to be performed that allows the spacecraft to return to orbit and transfer the samples to a separate module. This module is the one that will return to Earth and is expected to return in about 23 days, when it is estimated that it will land in Mongolia.
This is the third phase of China’s lunar exploration. The first and second phases were the Chang’e-1, Chang’e-2, Chang’e-3 and Chang’e-4 missions. The last of them was the one who gave us the historic landing on the hidden side of the Moon. Chang’e-6 is a “backup” if Chang’e-5 fails. Then will come Chang’e-7 and the next one in phase 4, which will prepare a lunar research facility for future landings with astronauts. Space exploration is, without a doubt, more alive than ever.
Vía | NOW
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