According to Xinhua, the Chinese probe Hang Nga 5 (Chang’e-5) successfully landed on the moon at 11:11 p.m. Beijing time on December 1 to conduct a sample collection mission. Rock.
Hang Nga 5 was launched into space on November 24 by the Truong Chinh 5 missile after four delays since 2017.
According to the plan, the Chinese exploration vessel will research the surface of the Moon for 2 days and collect soil and rock samples before returning.
To accomplish this mission, the ship is equipped with cameras to monitor the landing zone and the sample area, an infrared spectrometer to detect the material composition of the sample area, and equipment to probe the underlying structure. area.
The Hang Nga 5 was the world’s first lunar sampling vessel in over 40 years.
Hang Nga 5 has a total of 4 modules, including an Orbiter (Orbiter), a Lander carrying specialized tools for collecting specimens (Lander), a Sampling Vessel (Ascender) and a Ship. small containers to safely bring the specimens collected to Earth (Returner).
The Hang Nga 5 has been the world’s first lunar sampling probe for over 40 years.
This is considered to be one of the most difficult and complex missions in the history of the Chinese aerospace industry.
If successful, China will become the third country in the world to collect material samples from the Moon, after the United States and the former Soviet Union.
Speaking to the press, Mr. Bui Trieu Vu, deputy director of the Center for Lunar and Space Exploration Program of the National Space Agency of China, stressed that the above mission will help promote public development. Chinese science and technology, and lays an important basis for its plan to explore the outer atmosphere and its future manned amphibious mission.
Although China joined the space race quite late, but in recent decades, Beijing has “injected” billions of dollars into research and training in this area.
China is currently planning to build a research station and move people to the moon in the near future. In January 2019, a Chinese space exploration device made the first “soft landing” on the “dark side” of the Moon and successfully sent the first photos here.
