China releases ultra-clear image of Moon taken by Chang’e 5 probe

Less than a day after its Chang’e 5 probe made a soft landing on the Moon, China’s National Space Administration released both a short video showing the spacecraft’s descent to the surface as well as a high definition image of the lunar landscape.

The panoramic image of the surface, highlighting the region of Oceanus Procellarum where the spacecraft landed, is particularly breathtaking. It shows the lander and one of its legs in the foreground, with the lunar surface extending to the horizon. This zoomable image, which measures 15,000 × 7,947 pixels, provides incredible detail on the small rocks near the lander, as well as the indentation made by the landing leg on the surface of the Moon.

The time-lapse video of the descent clearly shows the Chang’e 5 lander decelerating, reorienting itself, avoiding hazards, and then hovering before arriving for a final landing.

Chang’e Descender and Ascender Landing 5.

? ： CNSA / CLEP
ℹ ： https: //t.co/uAjm4tGl7i pic.twitter.com/P7zK9asBuq

– LaunchStuff (@LaunchStuff) December 2, 2020

Landing on the moon is no new feat for China. The country’s Chang’e 3 probe made a successful soft landing on the moon in 2013, and in 2019, the Chang’e 4 probe made the first ever soft landing on the other side of the moon, per program national space. It should also be noted that there are currently three active probes on the lunar surface, and all of them are Chinese.

But the real test of China’s space program will take place on Thursday. Since landing, the Chang’e 5 probe has collected material and placed the lunar regolith in a sample return capsule. On Thursday, this small spacecraft will then attempt to launch from the surface of the Moon, which had only been done by the United States and the former Soviet Union.

Once this small vehicle has reached lunar orbit, it still needs to dock with the lunar orbiter, transfer samples, and then return safely to Earth through the planet’s atmosphere. All of this, if successful, will take place over the next few weeks. If all goes well, before the end of 2020, China will have the first new moon rock samples returned to Earth in more than four decades.