The Chinese probe that will bring rocks from the Moon to Earth successfully reaches the satellite

China is advancing its space exploration program.

The

probe

which left a week ago for the moon to collect rocks and other samples from the lunar surface, has landed on the satellite without incident, according to the state agency Xinhua.

It is the first mission of its kind in more than forty years.

The Asian giant has invested billions of dollars in its space program, hoping to have a manned space station by 2022 and eventually send humans to the Moon.

Chang'e 4 probe

• The first images of the far side of the Moon captured by the probe 'Chang'e 4'

The objective of this mission is to bring back samples of lunar dust and rocks, to help scientists better understand the origins of the Moon, its formation and volcanic activity on its surface.

If successful, China will be the third country to have sampled the satellite, after the United States in the 1960s and the former Soviet Union in the 1970s.

The probe will collect two kilos of material from the surface in an unexplored area known as the Oceanus Procellarum (Ocean of Storms), a vast volcanic plain visible from Earth, where it will excavate the lunar surface to reach about two meters deep.

The robotic spacecraft is expected to collect the material on one lunar day, which is equivalent to about 14 days on Earth.

The samples will be sent to Earth in a capsule that will land in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia, in the north of the country, in early December.

China entered the space race late, but has set out to lead missions to the Moon.

Hazards on the surface

According to the

, the spacecraft touched the lunar surface at 15.11 UTC, 14 minutes after activating the engine that transported the Chang'e 5 of 8 lander and ascendant combination to its destination from about 15 kilometers. , 2 tons.

During the motor-assisted process, the descending module cameras took pictures of the landing site and transmitted them to computers to identify potential hazards on the surface, such as large rocks, so the spacecraft could maneuver to avoid them.

The

probe

, so called in reference to a goddess who, according to Chinese tradition, lives on the Moon, weighs eight tons and is made up of four modules, which will be in charge of the orbit around the satellite, and the moon landing, respectively. , lunar takeoff and return to land.