Chang'e 5-T1

Summary

Chang'e 5-T1 was an preparatory robotic lunar mission launched by China National Space Administration on 23 October 2014. It was in preparation for Chang'e 5, launched in 2020, the first sample-return mission of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program. Launched by a Long March 3C on a free-return trajectory around the Moon, the mission consisted of a return capsule, which landed on Earth after eight days, and a service module lunar orbiter, which remained active until at least 2018.