Photos: China launches Moon probe to bring back lunar rocks

Photos

Login / Sign Up

Saturday, November 23, 2024

Gold / Forex

Photos News

Photos: China launches Moon probe to bring back lunar rocks

The probe is expected to land in late November and collect material during one lunar day

Published: November 24, 2020 08:11 AFP and compiled by Balaram Menon, Senior Web Editor

1 of 16

The Long March-5 Y5 rocket, carrying the Chang'e-5 lunar probe — China on Tuesday launched an unmanned spacecraft to bring back lunar rocks - the first attempt by any nation to retrieve samples from the Moon in four decades. Image Credit: REUTER

2 of 16

Copy of China_Moon_Mission_91297.jpg-9131d-1606190640154 — A Long March 5 rocket carrying the Chang'e-5 probe, named after the mythical Chinese moon goddess, blasted off from the Wenchang Space Center on the southern island province of Hainan at 4:30 am (2030 GMT Monday), the official Xinhua news agency reported. Image Credit: AP

3 of 16

Copy of 084350-01-02-1606190635058 — Beijing is pouring billions into its military-run space programme, with hopes of having a crewed space station by 2022 and of eventually sending humans to the Moon. Image Credit: AFP

4 of 16

Copy of 055007-01-02-1606190609383 — The mission's goal is to shovel up lunar rocks and soil to help scientists learn about the Moon's origins, formation and volcanic activity on its surface. Image Credit: AFP

5 of 16

Copy of 2020-11-23T212916Z_1335092578_RC299K9LVTHW_RTRMADP_3_SPACE-EXPLORATION-CHINA-MOON-1606190647710 — The original mission, planned for 2017, was delayed due to an engine failure in the Long March 5 rocket. Image Credit: REUTERS

6 of 16

Copy of China_Moon_Mission_94345.jpg-061af-1606190612428 — If successful, China will be only the third country to have retrieved samples from the Moon, following the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s. Image Credit: AP

7 of 16

Copy of 084341-01-02-1606190632168 — The Chinese probe will collect two kilograms (4.5 pounds) of surface material in a previously unexplored area known as Oceanus Procellarum - or "Ocean of Storms" - which consist of a vast lava plain, according to the science journal Nature. Image Credit: AFP

8 of 16

Copy of 2020-11-23T211527Z_1519277634_RC299K9515K8_RTRMADP_3_SPACE-EXPLORATION-CHINA-MOON-1606190642658 — The probe is expected to land in late November and collect material during one lunar day - equivalent to around 14 Earth days. Image Credit: REUTERS

9 of 16

Copy of China_Moon_Mission_45033.jpg-883c4-1606190617215 — The samples will then be returned to Earth in a capsule programmed to land in northern China's Inner Mongolia region in early December, according to US space agency NASA. Image Credit: AP

10 of 16

Copy of 084335-01-02-1606190626705 — The mission is technically challenging and involves several innovations not seen during previous attempts at collecting moon rocks, said Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Image Credit: AFP

11 of 16

Copy of AP23-11-2020_000051B-1606190621042 — "The US never did a robotic sample return. The Soviet one was very limited and could only land at certain restricted spots," McDowell told AFP. Image Credit: AP

12 of 16

Copy of 084336-01-02-1606190629099 — "China's system will be the most flexible and capable robotic sample return system yet. Image Credit: AFP

13 of 16

Copy of 2020-11-23T212702Z_172660936_RC299K9WVL2Y_RTRMADP_3_SPACE-EXPLORATION-CHINA-MOON-1606190644866 — A Chinese lunar rover landed on the far side of the Moon in January 2019, in a global first that boosted Beijing's ambitions to become a space superpower. Image Credit: REUTERS

14 of 16

Copy of China_Moon_Mission_94345.jpg-061af [1]-1606190605433 — It was the second Chinese probe to land on the Moon, following the Yutu ("Jade Rabbit") rover mission in 2013. Image Credit: AP

15 of 16

Copy of China_Moon_Mission_93246.jpg-1db09-1606190624171 — The latest Chang'e-5 probe is among a slew of ambitious targets set by Beijing, which include creating a super-powerful rocket capable of delivering payloads heavier than those NASA and private rocket firm SpaceX can handle, a lunar base, a permanently crewed space station, and a Mars rover. Image Credit: AP

16 of 16

Copy of 2020-11-23T225724Z_1982556643_RC2A9K9USQLO_RTRMADP_3_SPACE-EXPLORATION-CHINA-MOON-1606190650855 — The Long March-5 Y5 rocket, carrying the Chang'e-5 lunar probe, takes off from Wenchang Space Launch Center, in Wenchang, Hainan province Image Credit: REUTERS

Latest In

This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to improve your experience and provide more personalized service to you. Both on your website and other media. To find out more about the cookies and data we use, please check out our Privacy Policy.