Author Topic: LIVE: Chinese CE-5-T1 (Chang'e 5 precursor) - CZ-3C/G2, Xichang - Oct. 23, 2014  (Read 237664 times)

Offline Galactic Penguin SST

FEATURE ARTICLE - By Rui C. Barbosa:

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/10/china-lunar-sample-return-test-mission/


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As reported earlier, to test out the return module to be used for the Chang'e 5 lunar sample return mission at high re-entry velocity, a Chang'e 5 precursor mission will be flown before the real mission, with the spacecraft being something like Chang'e 2 topped by the CE-5 return module. This apparently has been confirmed to fly late this year - it will fly on a Zond/Apollo 13 type lunar free-return orbit and loop behind the Moon once.

The launch vehicle for this is the Long March 3C/G2 (i.e. "Long March 3C/E") - which will be on its first flight.

Sources:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-03/14/c_132232333.htm
http://news.xinhuanet.com/tech/2014-03/01/c_119562037.htm
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2014-03/03/c_119573118.htm
« Last Edit: 10/23/2014 02:00 pm by Chris Bergin »
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Offline plutogno

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Re: Chang'e 5 precursor mission - CZ-3C/E - Late 2014
« Reply #1 on: 03/03/2014 10:12 am »
I am the only one who dreams about an extended mission "à la Stardust" for the CE-2 bus after it has released the return capsule?

Offline plutogno

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Re: Chang'e 5 precursor mission - CZ-3C/E - Late 2014
« Reply #2 on: 04/28/2014 06:51 pm »
according to this interview, the demo mission may fly as soon as next June
http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2014/04-28/6114372.shtml

Offline Galactic Penguin SST

Re: Chang'e 5 precursor mission - CZ-3C/E - Late 2014
« Reply #3 on: 04/28/2014 11:44 pm »
according to this interview, the demo mission may fly as soon as next June
http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2014/04-28/6114372.shtml

More like October according to a lecture by someone at the Shanghai Observatory earlier this month. Apparently the landing site is at Inner Mongolia (Siziwang Banner) as that would be better for searching the capsule. There will be a few experiments on board the capsule to expose bacteria and plants to the BLEO radiation environment.
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Offline plutogno

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Re: Chang'e 5 precursor mission - CZ-3C/E - October 2014
« Reply #4 on: 06/14/2014 11:47 am »
first picture of the CE-5 return capsule. looks like a scaled Shenzhou!
http://www.spacechina.com/n25/n144/n206/n133097/c709628/content.html
« Last Edit: 06/14/2014 12:29 pm by Satori »

Offline Stan Black

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Re: Chang'e 5 precursor mission - CZ-3C/E - October 2014
« Reply #5 on: 06/14/2014 02:02 pm »
first picture of the CE-5 return capsule. looks like a scaled Shenzhou!
http://www.spacechina.com/n25/n144/n206/n133097/c709628/content.html

Including two parachute covers? Looks like they are planning for the future of Shenzhou?

Offline savuporo

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Re: Chang'e 5 precursor mission - CZ-3C/E - October 2014
« Reply #6 on: 06/17/2014 09:09 pm »
Blog post in spanish, Chrome/google translate translates pretty well :
http://danielmarin.naukas.com/2014/06/16/progresos-con-la-sonda-lunar-china-change-5/

Not much new, but the mission is nicknamed "Chang'e 2.5"
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Online Satori

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Re: Chang'e 5 precursor mission - CZ-3C/E - October 2014
« Reply #7 on: 06/17/2014 10:56 pm »
Blog post in spanish, Chrome/google translate translates pretty well :
http://danielmarin.naukas.com/2014/06/16/progresos-con-la-sonda-lunar-china-change-5/

Not much new, but the mission is nicknamed "Chang'e 2.5"

Is this designation comes from spacechina.com or from Daniel Marin's blog?
« Last Edit: 06/17/2014 11:01 pm by Satori »

Offline savuporo

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Re: Chang'e 5 precursor mission - CZ-3C/E - October 2014
« Reply #8 on: 06/17/2014 11:37 pm »
Don't know, the exact phrase was :
(la sonda ha recibido el apodo Chang’e 2.5 por combinar elementos de las misiones Chang’e 2 y Chang’e 5) = (the probe has been nicknamed Chang'e 2.5 combine elements of Chang'e Chang'e 2 missions and 5)


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Offline Galactic Penguin SST

I'm seeing a rumor of launching around October 24....  ;)
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Re: Chang'e 5 precursor mission - CZ-3C/E - October 2014
« Reply #10 on: 08/09/2014 09:52 am »
Until the moment I haven't heard any official designation for this mission. Did I miss it?

Offline Galactic Penguin SST

Until the moment I haven't heard any official designation for this mission. Did I miss it?

I have just asked - one "insider" replied that it's "Chang'e 5-T1".  ;)

In other news, the spacecraft has arrived at Xichang by airplane today: http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2014-08/10/c_1112010572.htm  :)
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Re: Chang'e 5 precursor mission - CZ-3C/E - October 2014
« Reply #12 on: 08/10/2014 10:09 am »
Same news in English, China to test recoverable moon orbiter.

Image from the previous link by GP.

Offline Skyrocket

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Re: Chang'e 5 precursor mission - CZ-3C/E - October 2014
« Reply #13 on: 08/10/2014 10:51 am »
Same news in English, China to test recoverable moon orbiter.

This news report calls the mission "Chang'e-4".

I've thought, "Change'4" was the designation of the back-up lunar rover for "Chang'e-3".
« Last Edit: 08/10/2014 10:52 am by Skyrocket »

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Re: Chang'e 5 precursor mission - CZ-3C/E - October 2014
« Reply #14 on: 08/10/2014 10:57 am »
Same news in English, China to test recoverable moon orbiter.

This news report calls the mission "Chang'e-4".

I've thought, "Change'4" was the designation of the back-up lunar rover for "Chang'e-3".

Humm, I don't think so. The news says that Chang'e-4 will be adapted to verify the technologies for Chang'e-5, not to test the reentry. Also, the news says in error that "The plan is for the orbiter to be launched into lunar orbit and return to Earth at an escape velocity of 11.2 km per second." The test is to launch the precursor mission on a high-elliptical orbit and is not intended to orbit the Moon.

Offline Moe Grills

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Re: Chang'e 5 precursor mission - CZ-3C/E - October 2014
« Reply #15 on: 08/11/2014 07:32 pm »
Same news in English, China to test recoverable moon orbiter.

This news report calls the mission "Chang'e-4".

I've thought, "Change'4" was the designation of the back-up lunar rover for "Chang'e-3".

Humm, I don't think so. The news says that Chang'e-4 will be adapted to verify the technologies for Chang'e-5, not to test the reentry. Also, the news says in error that "The plan is for the orbiter to be launched into lunar orbit and return to Earth at an escape velocity of 11.2 km per second." The test is to launch the precursor mission on a high-elliptical orbit and is not intended to orbit the Moon.

A high-elliptical orbit can have an apogee of 400,000 km, like the Zond 4 spacecraft in March, 1968. And it can  reenter Earth's atmosphere at +11.0 km/sec, like that Zond.

Offline Moe Grills

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Re: Chang'e 5 precursor mission - CZ-3C/E - October 2014
« Reply #16 on: 08/11/2014 07:40 pm »
  Am I the only one who sees the upcoming Chang'e 4 mission as an opportunity for Chinese space program engineers to test technology, flight profiles & hardware not only for robotic "sample return" missions, but for likely near-future crewed cislunar or libration-point DS missions involving evolved Shenzhou spacecraft?

Offline Blackstar

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Re: Chang'e 5 precursor mission - CZ-3C/E - October 2014
« Reply #17 on: 08/14/2014 02:47 pm »
  Am I the only one who sees the upcoming Chang'e 4 mission as an opportunity for Chinese space program engineers to test technology, flight profiles & hardware not only for robotic "sample return" missions, but for likely near-future crewed cislunar or libration-point DS missions involving evolved Shenzhou spacecraft?

The whole program looks like it has clear engineering development purposes to help for eventual human spaceflight to the Moon, something I noted a little while back:

http://thespacereview.com/article/2544/1

Offline Galactic Penguin SST

The spacecraft will carry a ham radio beacon built by LuxSpace: http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/11/ham-radio-goes-around-the-moon/
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