China hails successful launch of Chang’e-5 mission to collect moon samples
- The Long March-5 rocket blasted off at 4.30am Beijing time from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in Hainan
- This is the first such mission by any country since the 1970s, underscoring Beijing’s ambitions in space
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China launches Chang’e-5 mission to bring back rocks from moon
China hailed as a success its predawn launch on Tuesday of a robotic spacecraft to bring back rocks from the moon in the first bid by any country to retrieve lunar surface samples since the 1970s, a mission underscoring Chinese ambitions in space.
The Long March-5, China’s largest carrier rocket, blasted off at 4.30am Beijing time in a launch from Wenchang Space Launch Centre on the southern Chinese island of Hainan carrying the Chang’e-5 spacecraft.
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) called the launch a success and said in a statement that the rocket flew for nearly 37 minutes before sending the spacecraft on its intended trajectory.
The Chang’e-5 mission, named after the ancient Chinese goddess of the moon, will seek to collect lunar material to help scientists understand more about the moon’s origins and formation. The mission will test China’s ability to remotely acquire samples from space, ahead of more complex missions.
State broadcaster CCTV, which ran live coverage of the launch, showed images of CNSA staff in blue uniforms applauding and cheering as they watched the spacecraft climbing through the atmosphere, lighting up the night sky.