Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Credit: SpaceNews

While the impact from the recent China Long March 5 booster failure is still unknown, space engineers in that country are working on the bold Chang’e-5 lunar return sample mission.

The mooncraft was originally targeted for a November liftoff atop a Long March 5 booster. It would depart from the newly completed Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China’s Hainan Province.

Apollo 15 image captures landing locale of China’s Chang’e-5 Moon lander – the Mons Rümker region in the northern part of Oceanus Procellarum.
Credit: NASA

If successful, this robotic vehicle would tote back to Earth the first lunar samples in over 40 years.

What is known is that Chang’e-5’s landing site was announced last month during the Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX) 2017 meeting held in Beijing: the Mons Rümker region within a part of the moon’s Oceanus Procellarum.

What’s more, lunar scientists are very excited about that landing locale – and for good reason.

Here’s my recent story in SpaceNews on this ambitious Chinese mission:

http://spacenews.com/chinas-long-march-to-the-moon/