The Chang’e 5 lunar mission will be China’s first attempt to bring a sample from the Moon’s surface back to Earth.

The fifth of China’s Moon missions, Chang’e 5 is, like those before it, named after the Chinese Moon goddess, Chang’e.

The first lunar sample return mission since 1976, if successful, Chang’e 5 will make China only the third nation to bring a portion of the Moon back to Earth, the others being the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

The mission will land on the side of the Moon that always faces Earth at the Mons Rümker region in Oceanus Procellarum.

The lander will collect 2 kg of material from 2 meters (6.6 ft) below the lunar surface and place the sample in the ascent vehicle that will then be launched back into orbit of the Moon.

From there, the ascent vehicle will autonomously dock to the orbiter portion of the mission and transfer its collected sample to the return capsule to be sent back to Earth.

The return capsule design was tested successfully in 2014, and the test platform of the orbiter successfully completed maneuver tests in 2015.

Image: Chang'e 5 from CCTV.

Chang Zheng 5 (and 5B)

This is China's heavy lift rocket. Developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the Chang Zheng 5 can take:

• 25,000 kg to Low Earth Orbit
• 14,000 kg to Geostationary Transfer Orbit
• 8,200 kg to the Moon.

The rocket's engineers undertook 20 years of study before the program was approved by the Chinese government in 2007.

It flew for the first time in 2016, but its first two missions were less than perfect. The first flight dropped the payload off in a wrong - but "workable" - orbit. The second launch failed.

After this, the rocket's booster engines were redesigned. The third flight was a success, paving the way for a host of critical missions.

In 2020, the Chang Zheng 5 launched China's Chang'e 5 lunar sample return mission, a new crewed spacecraft, and the Tianwen-1 mission to Mars.

The rocket is also tasked with launching China's multi-module space station, for which it uses the Chang Zheng 5B variant that replaces the second stage with the payload (the station module) being launched instead.

Wenchang is a former suborbital test site located in Wenchang, Hainan, China.

It is China's southernmost launch site. Located on an island, rocket stages are delivered via ship.

Construction of the orbital launch pads was approved on September 27th, 2007, and the launch site was completed in October 2014 with the first orbital launch taking place on June 25th, 2016.

The site has two active launch pads, with a third planned. LC-1 is used to launch the Chang Zheng 5 rocket while LC-2 is used for the Chang Zheng 7 and 8 rocket families.

Operations at Wenchang are managed by the Xichang Satellite Launch Center.

Image: CMSA

Mons Rümker is a volcanic formation on the Moon's surface located in the Oceanus Procellarum -- "Ocean of Storms" -- area.

Mons Rümker stretches 70 km across the lunar surface and peaks in elevation at 1.1 km above the local landscape.

The photo of Mons Rümker seen here was captured by the astronauts of Apollo 15.

Credit: NASA, Apollo 15