Chang'e 5 to Return with 2Kg of Lunar Soil and Rocks, Docking with Return Vehicle Planned
Planting Oseonghonggi on Moon Surface to Showcase Space Ambition
[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] China's unmanned probe 'Chang'e 5' has successfully taken off from the moon carrying lunar surface samples, Chinese media reported.
According to Chinese media including People's Daily and Global Times on the 4th, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced that the Chang'e 5 ascent vehicle took off at 11:10 PM local time on the 3rd carrying about 2 kg of soil and rock samples.
Chang'e 5, which landed at 11:11 PM on the 1st in the northwestern plain area of the moon called the 'Oceanus Procellarum,' completed sample collection and sealed packaging by 10 PM on the 2nd, and on that day, the ascent vehicle used the lander as a launch pad to lift off.
The ascent vehicle is scheduled to dock with the return capsule waiting in lunar orbit, which will travel 380,000 km at a speed of 11 km/s to re-enter Earth's atmosphere and return to Shizu Wang in the northern Chinese autonomous region of Inner Mongolia by mid-month.
The Chang'e 5 lander notably displayed the Chinese national flag, the Five-star Red Flag, prepared on Earth just before the ascent operation, showcasing China's determination for 'space rise.'
China had also displayed the Five-star Red Flag during the lunar landings of Chang'e 3 in December 2013 and Chang'e 4 in January 2019, but at that time, the flag was painted and coated on the rover and probe.
However, this time, Chinese media evaluated that it took a step further by using an actual flag made of fabric measuring 200 cm wide and 90 cm tall.
To display the Five-star Red Flag, China adopted the method used to deploy solar panels on satellites and prepared a 1 kg flag display system with protective measures to operate in the harsh lunar environment, where temperatures fluctuate beyond minus 150°C.
The developers explained, "Ordinary flags used on Earth cannot be used in the harsh lunar environment," adding, "It took about a year to select a new composite material so that the Five-star Red Flag can endure on the moon, show vivid colors, and remain forever."
The Global Times reported that American probes landed on the moon six times in the 1960s and 1970s and installed the Stars and Stripes, but the Apollo 11 flag was blown away by exhaust gases during the probe's lift-off, and the other five were bleached by solar radiation, making flag raising a difficult task.
The Global Times also noted that the Five-star Red Flag displayed this time is the only fabric flag installed on the moon in the 21st century, comparing it to when Neil Armstrong of Apollo 11 planted the Stars and Stripes on the moon during humanity's first lunar landing in 1969.
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