2-5-2024 (BEIJING) According to the official website of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), the Engineering Task Command Center decided on Wednesday (May 1) to proceed with the Chang’e-6 mission of the lunar exploration program’s Phase Four, with the launch set for May 3.
Preparations for the mission are progressing steadily at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in China. The Long March-5 Y8 carrier rocket, tasked with executing the launch, is undergoing final preparations, including the loading of propellants. This will be the second lunar exploration mission carried out by the Long March-5 carrier rocket, transporting the Chang’e-6 probe to the Earth-Moon transfer orbit to conduct the sampling and return mission on the far side of the Moon.
The launch window refers to the time range suitable for rocket launches. For this mission, based on comprehensive considerations including the relative positions of the Earth and the Moon, the engineering team has applied the “narrow window, multiple trajectories” launch technique. Within a continuous window of 50 minutes each day for two consecutive days, a total of 10 trajectories have been designed for the lunar journey.
After completing technical area-related work at the Wenchang Space Launch Center on Saturday (April 27), the Chang’e-6 probe and the Long March-5 Y8 carrier rocket were transported vertically to the launch area. The launch is scheduled to take place in early May.
Following the arrival of the Chang’e-6 probe and the Long March-5 Y8 carrier rocket at the launch site in January and March respectively, various preparations including assembly and testing have been completed. The mobile launch platform carrying the Long March-5 Y8 carrier rocket safely transported the probe and rocket from the vertical test building to the launch area on April 27. Subsequent activities will include functional checks, integrated testing, propellant loading, and other tasks as planned.
