China is preparing to launch Chang'e-3, an unmanned probe that will soft-land on the moon, some time before the end of the year, according to state-owned news sources. China launched Chang'e-1 and Chang'e-2, unmanned lunar probes, into orbit around the moon in 2007 and 2010. Chang'e-3 is the first that will actually land on the surface, using an unspecified technique to slow the probe's speed as it approaches the moon.
"Chang'e-3 has officially entered its launch implementation stage following its research and construction period," Xinhua reported today. A specific date was not announced. The government has been saying for months that the rover will launch in December from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province; today's...
via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/8/28/4667314/china-prepares-to-land-first-spacecraft-on-the-moon-chang-e-3
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