Which of the following countries performed its first robotic docking in lunar orbit?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The correct answer is option 2 i.e. China.
- A Chinese probe carrying samples from the lunar surface successfully docked 6 December 2020 with a spacecraft orbiting the moon, in another space first for the nation.
- The manoeuvre was part of the ambitious Chang'e-5 mission -- named after a mythical Chinese Moon goddess -- to bring back the first lunar samples in four decades.
- The cargo capsule carrying lunar rocks and soil lifted off from the surface on 3 December 2020, and docked with the orbiter on 6 December 2020 morning, as per the China National Space Administration (CNSA).