Chang e 5 Mission Launch
Explanation:
This Long March-5 rocket blasted off from the
Wenchang
launch site
in southernmost Hainan province on Tuesday
November 24, at 4:30 am Beijing Time,
carrying China's
Chang'e-5
mission to the Moon.
The lunar landing mission is named for the ancient Chinese goddess of the moon.
Its goal is to collect
about 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of
lunar material from the surface and return it
to planet Earth, the first robotic sample return mission to the
Moon since the Soviet Union's
Luna 24 mission
in 1976.
The
complex Chang'e-5 mission
landing target is in the Oceanus Procellarum
(Ocean of Storms).
The smooth volcanic plain was also visited
by the
Apollo 12 mission in 1969.
Chang'e-5's lander is solar-powered and scheduled to operate on
the lunar surface during its location's lunar daylight, which
will last about two Earth weeks, beginning around November 27.
A capsule with the lunar sample on board would return to Earth in mid-December.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
