China launched its Chang’e 5 mission to the moon early Tuesday morning local time from the country’s launch site on Hainan Island in the South China Sea. The country is seeking to bring soil and rock samples from the lunar surface to Earth for the first time in its history, for scientific study.
What’s going to happen: Chang’e 5 is expected to reach the moon on November 27. The entire mission consists of four parts: an orbiter, a lander, an ascension stage, and a return capsule. The spacecraft is not equipped with heating units to help the electronic components on board withstand the extremely cold temperatures of the lunar night. This means that the mission must collect its sample and start returning to Earth within 14 days (the length of the lunar day).
Tell me more: The lander will descend to the moon’s surface at a site near Mons Rümker, a volcanic formation in the region of Oceanus Procellarum which lies on the western edge of the near face of the moon. The lander will seek to collect at least four pounds of lunar soil from the surface. It will first drill about 6.5 feet into the ground and collect a core of lunar soil below the surface. Then a robotic arm will grab the earth from the surface itself. A near-infrared spectrometer and ground-penetrating radar will help the Chang’e 5 scan part of the ground while it’s still on the ground, while making sure it avoids heavy or dangerous rocks.
Once the material is collected, the sample will be stored in a lifting vehicle that will transport it to the orbiter flying above. The orbiter will place the sample in a return capsule that is expected to return to Earth on December 17 and land somewhere in Inner Mongolia.
