---
title: "Chinese Lander Dies on Lunar Surface"
description: "Good night, Chang'e-5. China's lunar lander has completed its mission of collecting the first lunar samples in almost half a century. "
date: "2020-12-15"
modified: "2020-12-15"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/chinese-lander-dies-on-lunar-surface"
categories:
  - "Future Society"
tags:
  - "chang'e 4"
  - "chang'e 5"
  - "lunar lander"
  - "lunar sample"
  - "the digest"
---

# Chinese Lander Dies on Lunar Surface

![Good night, Chang'e-5. China's lunar lander has completed its mission of collecting the first lunar samples in almost half a century. ](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/chinese-lander-dies-on-lunar-surface.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: CCTV\</em\>*

## Get Some Rest

Good night, Chang'e-5.

China's lunar lander has completed its mission of [collecting the first Moon samples](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/chinese-robot-mission-successfully-collects-moon-rocks>) in almost half a century — meaning, [*Space.com* reports](<https://www.space.com/china-chang-e-5-moon-lander-is-no-more>), that it has effectively died.

Its ascent vehicle [took off](<https://www.space.com/china-chang-e-5-moon-sample-spacecraft-returning-to-earth>) with roughly four pounds of lunar rocks on December 3 to rendezvous with the mission's orbiter and fly back to Earth.

That means the lunar lander is finally able to get some hard-earned rest. It simply wasn't designed to withstand the extremely low temperatures during the lunar night cycle when temperatures can drop down to -310 degrees Fahrenheit.

## Freezing Cold

Chang'e-5's predecessors Chang'e-3 and Chang'e-4 featured heater units that allowed them to withstand such temperatures. Chang'e-4's rover Yutu-2 was able to spend several lunar night and day cycles on the far side of the Moon.

China's latest lander doesn't have that tech, and may have taken a hit even before succumbing to the freezing temperatures. Reports suggest the ascent vehicle sitting on top of the lander may have done some damage when blasting off, as *Space.com* reports.

While the samples themselves are still traveling back to Earth, the ascent vehicle [launched itself back at the lunar surface](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-crashed-spacecraft-moon-space-junk>) so it wouldn't become orbital debris.

**READ MORE:** [China's Chang'e 5 moon lander is no more after successfully snagging lunar rocks](<https://www.space.com/china-chang-e-5-moon-lander-is-no-more>) \[*Space.com*\]

**More on the mission:** *[China Crashed Spacecraft Into the Moon so It Wouldn't Become Space Junk](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-crashed-spacecraft-moon-space-junk>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)