China is preparing to launch Chang’e-3, an unmanned probe that will soft-land on the moon, some time before the end of the year, according to state-owned news sources. China launched Chang’e-1 and Chang’e-2, unmanned lunar probes, into orbit around the moon in 2007 and 2010. Chang’e-3 is the first that will actually land on the surface, using an unspecified technique to slow the probe’s speed as it approaches the moon.
China is set to land its first rover on the moon
“Chang’e-3 has officially entered its launch implementation stage following its research and construction period,” Xinhua reported today. A specific date was not announced. The government has been saying for months that the rover will launch in December from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province; today’s announcement confirms that the timeline is on track.
China's space program is still in its infancy, but it is a source of national pride. Unlike NASA, the China National Space Administration is pumping money into bold plans. The CNSA has been sending astronauts into orbit since 2003. It plans to eventually build a space station in Earth orbit and send a human to the moon by 2020.
Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
Most Popular
Most Popular
- Xbox overhauls its PC, web, and cloud apps with a faster design
- Anker’s new window-mounted camera monitors the outside of your home from within it
- I’ve reviewed almost every Android foldable this year — here’s how the iPhone Duo compares
- After printing 40,000 whistles, this is the 3D printer I’d buy
- The Enough Phone is made by and for people fed up with big screens
