China to send probe to moon to collect samples

A beach in front of the Wenchang Space Launch Center, on the tropical island of Hainan, from which a lunar probe is to be launched.

REUTERS - TINGSHU WANG

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China is preparing to launch a probe on the Moon to collect lunar rocks.

A first for more than forty years.

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The

rocket that will propel the spacecraft is in place on the launch pad of the Wenchang Space Launch Center on the tropical island of Hainan, according to official media.

The launch could take place Tuesday morning (local time).

As usual, China has not announced a specific date or time, space being considered a sensitive area.

This Chang'e 5 mission - named after a moon goddess in Chinese mythology - is the next step in China's ambitious space program, which struck a blow in early 2019 by landing a machine on the far side. of the Moon, a world first.

►Also read: Conquering the Moon

Better understand the moon

The probe that will be sent this time aims to collect dust and lunar rocks, in particular by digging the ground to a depth of two meters, then returning them to Earth.

These samples could then help scientists better understand the history of the Moon.

This is the first attempt to bring back moon rocks since the uninhabited

mission

, successfully carried out by the former USSR in 1976.

If all goes well, the Chinese probe should land on the moon at the end of November.

The return of the samples to Earth should take place around early or mid-December.

China has already landed two small remote-controlled robots on lunar soil during the Chang'e 3 missions, in 2013, and Chang'e 4, which began in 2018.

(with AFP)

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