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Mission record

Chang'e 5-T1

Also known as ChangeE5T1

China National Space Administration · Launched

Explore trajectory

Completed · Success

A Chinese circumlunar test flight that proved the high-speed atmospheric re-entry needed for a later lunar sample return.

Destinations
Launch vehicle
Long March 3C/E
Launch site
Xichang, Peoples Republic of China
Countries
Peoples Republic of China
Mission types
Flyby, Technology demonstrator

Chronology

Mission timeline

  1. Launch

    Chang'e 5-T1 launched on a Long March 3C/G2 from Xichang

  2. Flyby

    Closest approach to the Moon at about 11,300 km altitude

    Moon

  3. Deployment

    Return capsule separated from the service module before Earth entry

  4. Sample return

    The Return Vehicle touched down at Siziwangqi in Inner Mongolia after a skip re-entry

    The page gives touchdown as "about 22:40 UT Oct. 31".

    Earth

  5. Orbit insertion

    The Test Vehicle left the L2 point and entered a 200 km lunar orbit

    Moon

  6. Impact

    The launch booster was calculated to impact the lunar far side

    Campbell et al. (2023) identify WE0913A with the Chang’e 5-T1 upper stage using backward trajectory and spectral analyses. This event belongs to the launch stage and its attached experiment; the service module and return capsule are separate vehicles.

    Moon

Mission architecture

Vehicles

  • Chang'e 5-T1 service module · Spacecraft

    Destinations: Moon

    • Chang'e 5-T1 return capsule · Return capsule · Returned to Earth after the circumlunar flight; separate from the service module.

      Destinations: Moon

  • Chang’e 5-T1 Long March 3C/G2 upper stage · Other · Upper-stage carrier of 4M, identified as WE0913A by the 2023 trajectory and spectral study; impacted the lunar far side on 4 March 2022.

    Destinations: Moon

Trajectory record

Time-dependent navigation trajectory

Source states place the model at the selected time. Reconstructed flight, estimates, predictions and historical mission plans are identified by interval; gaps remain visible.

J2000 · Sun-centered display · positions interpolated between source states

Coverage: February 14, 2015 to December 31, 2015

Source records and sampling assumptions are retained with the repository data. Model attitude and surface appearance are illustrative.

  • Chang'e 5-T1 launch stage / WE0913A: Estimated trajectory from source-fitted daily orbit records · February 14, 2015 to December 31, 2015

Provenance

Sources

Each source is listed once and labeled with the mission, event, trajectory, or destination/body context it supports.

Data verified through September 14, 2026