Rocket to lift Chang'e 5 moved to launch pad

By Zhao Lei | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2020-11-17 10:40
Share
Share - WeChat
The rocket to lift Chang'e 5, the latest mission in China's lunar exploration program, is moved to its launch pad in the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province on Nov 17, 2020. [Photo by Yuan Zhen/chinadaily.com.cn]

The rocket to lift Chang'e 5, the latest mission in China's lunar exploration program, was moved to its launch pad in the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province on Tuesday morning, according to the China National Space Administration.

The 57-meter Long March 5 heavy-lift carrier rocket, which weighs about 870 metric tons, was vertically placed on a mobile platform that moved about two hours before transporting the gigantic rocket to a coastal launch pad, the administration said in a statement.

The launch has been scheduled to take place before the end of this month, it noted.

The rocket was transported to a port in Wenchang by ships in late September and was then carried by special trucks to the launch center.

Over the past two months, it was assembled and examined at the center, the administration said, adding that when final checks are done, propellants will be pumped into it.

The sixth mission in the Chang'e program, Chang'e 5 will be one of the most difficult and challenging endeavors China has ever embarked on and will become the world's first space operation in more than four decades to bring lunar samples back the Earth.

Its findings will facilitate scientists' research on the moon's origin and evolution, according to the administration.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next   >>|
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US