Tag: Chang’e
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China lands Chang’e-4 mission on the far side of the Moon
Following a December 7, 2018 launch on a Long March-3B/G3Z rocket, China has now landed its fourth and most ambitious lunar exploration mission on Thursday, January 3, 2019. This is the first mission to land on the far side of the Moon. The Chang’e-4 mission is part of the second phase of China’s lunar program,…
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China launches historic mission to land on far side of the moon
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated at 7 p.m. EST (0000 GMT) with additional details on the mission. A view of the far side of the moon and the distant Earth, captured by the service module for the Chang’e 5-T1 tech demo mission in 2014. Credit: Chinese Academy of Sciences A robotic lander and rover lifted off Friday…
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Queqiao relay satellite launched ahead of Chang’e-4 lunar mission
A Chinese Long March 4C has launched the Queqiao spacecraft – a relay satellite for the upcoming Chang’e-4 lunar mission. Launch occurred from the LC-3 pad at the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre (XSLC) at 21:25 UTC. This latest launch is part of China’s growing ambitions for lunar exploration, which has already achieved numerous successes. Chang’e-1 was launched in 2007…
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China sets November launch for lunar sample return mission
File photo of the moon seen from the International Space Station. Credit: NASA China plans to launch a robotic mission to return samples from the lunar surface, the first such mission in four decades, in November on top of the country’s new heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket, according to state media reports. The government-run Xinhua…
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China lays out plans to put probe on moon’s far side in 2018 – and on Mars in 2020
An artist’s conception shows the Chang’e 4 spacecraft landing on the moon. (CCTV via YouTube) China’s latest white paper on space exploration confirms the country’s plans to send a rover to the moon’s far side in 2018 and put a rover on Mars in 2020. Today’s white paper, released by the State Council Information Office, says the…
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China aims for landing on moon’s far side by 2020
China’s Yutu rover is pictured in this view from the Chang’e 3 landing platform shortly after arriving on the moon in December 2013. Credit: Chinese Academy of Sciences/NAOC A rover and landing platform developed as a backup for China’s Chang’e 3 moon mission will be repurposed to attempt the first touchdown on the lunar far…
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China launches lunar sample return test mission
The Chinese have launched the third phase of its lunar exploration program on Thursday. Launch of the Chang’e-5-T1 mission took place at 1800UTC, utilizing a Long March-3C/G2 launch vehicle from the LC2 launch complex of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan Province. The mission is aimed at testing the technologies that are vital for the…