China is planning for November launch of the Chang’e-5 lunar sample return mission

[GS Zhou]

China is planning for the launch of the Chang'e-5 (嫦娥5号) lunar sample return mission in November 2020. The Chinese spacecraft Chang'e-5 will travel to the Moon to collect lunar rocks and return them to Earth. The mission is the latest in a series of increasingly complex trips to the lunar surface led by the China National Space Administration (CNSA), following its first touchdown of a craft, Chang’e-4, on the Moon’s far side in 2019.


嫦娥五号即将奔月！
装备科技 Today
长征五号遥五运载火箭垂直转运至发射区

解放军报北京11月17日电 （徐童、记者安普忠）记者从国家航天局获悉，今天，长征五号遥五运载火箭和嫦娥五号探测器在中国文昌航天发射场完成技术区总装测试工作后，垂直转运至发射区，计划于11月下旬择机实施发射。


长征五号遥五运载火箭于9月下旬由远望运输船队安全运抵海南文昌清澜港，并通过公路运输方式分段运送至中国文昌航天发射场。此后，火箭按照测试发射流程，陆续完成了总装、测试等各项准备工作。今天上午，活动发射平台驶出发射场垂直测试厂房，平稳行驶约2小时后，将长征五号遥五运载火箭安全转运至发射场一号发射工位。后续，在完成火箭功能检查和联合测试等工作并确认最终状态后，火箭将加注推进剂，按程序实施发射。

本次任务是长征五号系列运载火箭第二次应用性发射，此前已成功发射我国首次火星探测任务天问一号探测器。
探月工程嫦娥五号任务是中国探月工程第六次任务，计划实现月面自动采样返回，助力深化月球成因和演化历史等科学研究，是我国航天领域迄今最复杂、难度最大的任务之一。

 

[Daniel808]

Will be the first nation to do so in the last 40 years

 

[Whizzack]

China is planning for the launch of the Chang'e-5 (嫦娥5号) lunar sample return mission in November 2020. The Chinese spacecraft Chang'e-5 will travel to the Moon to collect lunar rocks and return them to Earth. The mission is the latest in a series of increasingly complex trips to the lunar surface led by the China National Space Administration (CNSA), following its first touchdown of a craft, Chang’e-4, on the Moon’s far side in 2019.


嫦娥五号即将奔月！
装备科技 Today
长征五号遥五运载火箭垂直转运至发射区

解放军报北京11月17日电 （徐童、记者安普忠）记者从国家航天局获悉，今天，长征五号遥五运载火箭和嫦娥五号探测器在中国文昌航天发射场完成技术区总装测试工作后，垂直转运至发射区，计划于11月下旬择机实施发射。


长征五号遥五运载火箭于9月下旬由远望运输船队安全运抵海南文昌清澜港，并通过公路运输方式分段运送至中国文昌航天发射场。此后，火箭按照测试发射流程，陆续完成了总装、测试等各项准备工作。今天上午，活动发射平台驶出发射场垂直测试厂房，平稳行驶约2小时后，将长征五号遥五运载火箭安全转运至发射场一号发射工位。后续，在完成火箭功能检查和联合测试等工作并确认最终状态后，火箭将加注推进剂，按程序实施发射。

本次任务是长征五号系列运载火箭第二次应用性发射，此前已成功发射我国首次火星探测任务天问一号探测器。
探月工程嫦娥五号任务是中国探月工程第六次任务，计划实现月面自动采样返回，助力深化月球成因和演化历史等科学研究，是我国航天领域迄今最复杂、难度最大的任务之一。

View attachment 688697

View attachment 688698

I strongly hope China will provide extensive coverage of this exciting mission...! Rocket launches are always great to watch, videos of the lunar landing and surface operation will be so much more... But especially for this mission, I feel the most exciting part will be the launch back from lunar surface and the automated rendezvous and docking in lunar orbit... a first I think for an automated docking anywhere other than LEO... 🛰.
So best of luck to CAST, CALT and CNSA on this historic mission...!

Of course it will be best if there's live coverage for the above events, but even if not, hopefully there will still be lots of video footage that can be shared later on...

 

[TaiShang]

The rocket and probe move to the launch pad in an upright position.

 

[shi12jun]

Congratulations in advance for success