Chang'e 5 sample return mission Options

[tolis]

Does anyone know when is Trans-Earth Injection supposed to take place?

[PaulH51]

Does anyone know when is Trans-Earth Injection supposed to take place?

You might want to follow this guy posting on Twitter
https://twitter.com/coastal8049/status/1337651294148861954

[nogal]

Chang'e-5 has raised its lunar orbit on 1:54 UTC 12/12/2020 in preparation for an Earth-transfer trajectory:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-12-12/Chang...wMlG/index.html
ESA has said they will support the return on December 15 but the news above mentions a 4,5 days transfer time.
Fernando

[kenny]

The Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post says....

After spending 6 days orbiting the moon, the combined orbiter and return vehicles successfully changed course from a near-circular orbit to an elliptical orbit on Saturday, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
(A forthcoming) second alternation is expected to allow the spacecraft to break free from the moon’s pull and set it on a path towards earth. Chang’e 5 is expected to land in Inner Mongolia some time between Tuesday and Thursday.

This report also says a telecoms glitch caused an interruption to planned video of the lunar lift-off.

SCMP Chang'e 5 prepares for Earth return

[marsbug]

I've seen the video of the lift-off from the descent stage, and the video from the ascender of the docking. Does that mean the glitch occurred in between, or was the descent stage using its own channel?

[tolis]

I've seen the video of the lift-off from the descent stage, and the video from the ascender of the docking. Does that mean the glitch occurred in between, or was the descent stage using its own channel?

A wild guess on my part, but perhaps it was intended to capture video footage from the ascent stage looking down towards the lander.

[kenny]

That was my guess too... same as Tolis.
We got good video from the descent stage of the ascent stage rising and disappearing into a black sky. Didn't seem to be more we could have expected from that angle.
But there was nothing from the ascent stage looking down, which was the viewpoint adopted during the Apollo lift-offs. That would have provided higher res coverage of the lunar surface in new areas not seen in detail during the descent.

[nogal]

Chang'e-5 is now returning to Earth.

Source: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-12-13/Chang...VY5i/index.html
EDIT:First mid-course correction:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-12-14/Chang...Mjzq/index.html

[John Whitehead]

there was nothing from the ascent stage looking down

Presumably the lunar ascent vehicle had the tightest mass budget of all the mission pieces, which would have constrained the size and reliability of whatever might have been included for imaging and communications.

[Phil Stooke]

I have been looking at distant features in the Chang'e 5 panorama. Between these two images I have covered the ones I can identify. All designations are informal including the big hill name, which was on Apollo-era maps but has been dropped. Chang'e 5 images courtesy of CNSA/CLEP. LRO images from NASA and Arizona State University.

Phil

[kenny]

Currently sub-zero and snowy at Siziwang (Dorbod) county, the area in Inner Mongolia where the Chang'e-5 reentry capsule is expected to land tomorrow (about 17:32 to 18:07 UTC Dec. 16), which will be around midnight local tme.

Info from Andrew Jones and some photos of preparations here:

Andrew Jones on Chang'e 5 upcoming landing

[kenny]

Various commentators have stated the Chang'e-5 orbiter performed a trajectory correction manoeuvre at 01:15 UTC today, with an 8 second engine firing. Reentry capsule was expected to separate 5,000 km from Earth and reentry/landing between 1732-1807 UTC , so in a few minutes' time. Awaiting live stream of descent capsule fireball.

[kenny]

ESA states that its Maspalomas & Kourou stations are no longer tracking Chang’e 5.
As expected, the spacecraft is no longer visible to the stations, and "our involvement with this exciting mission is complete."

" Landing is expected soon. Best of luck #ChangE! We’re looking forward to welcoming you home ".

[kenny]

first radio blackkout happened as expected.

livestream in chinese here...CCTV

[kenny]

Reports saying it has landed successfully, but not yet located.

Landing comfirmed several times now. But vehicles will take 1-2 hours to reach the site in the dark with blowing snow. A helicopter has also set off.