The unmanned explorer Chang’e 5 from China successfully landed on the moon on Tuesday, according to the Chinese government. The scout will collect soil samples there in the coming days. He must then use it to fly back to Earth.
The scout was last week launched from China. His new workplace is Mons Rümker, an old volcanic formation in the northern hemisphere of the moon. It was formed about a billion years ago and is therefore younger than many places on the moon that have been explored so far.
The Chang’e 5 will dig to a depth of 2 meters. He is supposed to return to Earth with about 2 kilos of moon rocks afterwards. The last time moon rocks were brought to Earth was in 1976.
In the course of December, the Chang’e 5 must land on the vast grassy plains of Inner Mongolia. Scientists can then place the stones under the equipment in their labs. In this way they want to get a better picture of the composition and history of the moon.
Mission very complex
A sample return mission is very complex: a vessel must be launched from Earth, make the crossing of almost 400,000 kilometers, enter orbit around the moon, land safely and collect material, but then must be relaunched, make the crossing back and also safely on Earth.
China has become increasingly active in space travel in recent decades. The country very occasionally collaborates with another country, but does it for the most part itself. In 2003, a Chinese ‘taikonaut’ went into space for the first time. In 2013, a Chinese cart landed on the moon for the first time.
Earlier this year, an unmanned Chinese explorer left for Mars, where it is due to arrive next year. In the coming years, China also wants to build its own space station.
The last successful sample return mission to the moon, was the Soviet Union’s Luna 24 mission. It flew to the moon in August 1976 and returned ten days later with 170 grams of stones. The twelve Americans who walked on the moon have also taken back all kinds of stones.
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