China plans to launch the Chang'e-5 lunar probe at the end of November this year, from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern China's Hainan Province, aboard the heavy-lift carrier rocket Long March-5.

 

中国计划于今年11月底在海南文昌航天发射场用重型运载火箭长征5号发射嫦娥5号月球探测器。
 

 

The mission will be China's first automated¹ moon surface sampling, first moon take-off, first unmanned docking in a lunar orbit about 380,000 km from earth, and first return flight in a speed close to second cosmic velocity², according to the China Aerospace³ Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

 

"With a weight of 8.2 tons, the lunar probe is comprised of four parts: an orbiter, a returner, an ascender and a lander," said Ye Peijian, one of China's leading aerospace experts and a consultant⁴ to the program.

 

The lander will put moon samples in a vessel⁵ in the ascender after the moon landing. Then the ascender will take off from the moon to dock with the orbiter and the returner orbiting the moon, and transfer the samples to the returner.

 

The orbiter and returner then head back to the earth, separating from each other when they are several thousand kilometers from earth. Finally, the returner will re-enter the earth.

 

The development of Chang'e-5 has entered the end of its flight model phase, and relevant work is proceeding⁶ smoothly⁷, according to CASC.

 

China plans to fulfill⁸ three strategic steps with the launch of Chang'e-5, "orbiting, landing and returning."

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