according to this interview, the demo mission may fly as soon as next Junehttp://www.chinanews.com/gn/2014/04-28/6114372.shtml
first picture of the CE-5 return capsule. looks like a scaled Shenzhou!http://www.spacechina.com/n25/n144/n206/n133097/c709628/content.html
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"
Until the moment I haven't heard any official designation for this mission. Did I miss it?
Same news in English, China to test recoverable moon orbiter.
Quote from: Satori on 08/10/2014 10:09 amSame 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".
Quote from: Skyrocket on 08/10/2014 10:51 amQuote from: Satori on 08/10/2014 10:09 amSame 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.
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?