BEIJING: The Chang’e-6 lunar probe is scheduled for launch on May 3, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said on Wednesday.
The probe is set to collect samples from the far side of the moon, making this mission the first of its kind in human history.
At present, preparations for the mission are progressing steadily at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in south China’s Hainan Province, and the Long March-5 Y8 carrier rocket will soon be refueled with propellant, the CNSA said.
As there is a narrow launch window on two consecutive days, with only 50 minutes available each day, the mission’s rocket team has designed a total of 10 trajectories, the CNSA added.
The Wenchang Space Launch Site conducted a final rehearsal for the launch on Wednesday. The site’s meteorological system has strengthened its monitoring and analysis processes to ensure a successful launch.
The Chang’e-6 lunar probe and Long March-5 Y8 carrier rocket combination was transferred vertically to the launch area on Saturday.
Chang’e 6, China’s next spacecraft to venture to the moon, has been scheduled to set out on its journey on Friday, tasked with bringing back samples from the moon’s little-known far side, the China National Space Administration said in a news release.
A Long March 5 carrier rocket, with the 8.3-metric-ton Chang’e 6 probe on top of it, will soon be injected with propellants at its launch service tower at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province, the administration said, adding that the coming flight will become the second time for the Long March 5 rocket model to lift a lunar mission.
Chang’e 6 was transported to the launch center in January, while the Long March 5 rocket arrived in March.
They were assembled and tested at the spaceport. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
