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China is planning to launch an uncrewed spacecraft on a quick jaunt around the moon, in a test of technology designed to return rocks from the lunar surface to Earth.
The Chang'e 5-T1 mission is set to blast off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan, China, on 23 October. It will fly around the back of the moon and return to Earth – using a parachute to slow its decent through the atmosphere – about 8 days later.
The Chang'e 5-T1 mission is set to blast off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan, China, on 23 October. It will fly around the back of the moon and return to Earth – using a parachute to slow its decent through the atmosphere – about 8 days later.