China’s next spacecraft to the moon,
Chang’e-3, which is provisionally slated for launch in 2013, will execute a
soft landing on the lunar surface.
Announcing
this on Friday, Ye Peijian, chief scientist of deep space exploration at the
China Academy of Space Technology, said that the launch will be from the
Xichang Satellite Launch Center.
Emphasizing
that the program was on track, he said that the spacecraft had entered the
critical phase of prototype development consisting of wheels and legs, and was
also a brand new one for China. “So the technology is difficult to master,” he
has been quoted as saying in the People’s Daily.
According
to Ye, since the probe will make a soft landing on the moon’s surface, the use
of parachutes has been ruled out due to the moon’s vacuum. Instead, it will
employ an anti-thrust mechanism to reduce the speed of the engine.
Five
landing sites have been shortlisted with the first choice going to a flat,
well-lit, and easily observable region known as Sinus Iridium.
He said
that the lander weighing 100 kg will have seven instruments and cameras. In
addition to their scientific roles, the cameras will also take pictures of
earth and other celestial bodies. The lander will have the capacity to operate
for three consecutive months.
The
rover, with a payload capacity of 20 kg, will be equipped with eight
instruments including a panoramic camera and a lunar exploration radar. It will
use automated navigation and will have the capacity to climb and avoid
obstacles. It will also have the capacity for what is known as “turning route
selection,” says the People’s Daily.
The rover
will transmit data back to earth by itself or through the lander.
The
firm announcement about the launch of Chang’e-3 comes at a time when there is a
degree of uncertainty regarding the launch of India’s second mission to the
moon, Chandrayaan-2, which was also slated for next year.
Chandrayaan-2
consists of an India-made rocket, orbiter, and rover, while the lander is from
Russia. The uncertainty about the launch schedule is because of the Russian
lander. Russia has stated that because of the failure of the Phobos-Grunt
mission which was testing the lunar lander, production of the lander for
Chandrayaan-2 will be delayed.
If the
flight had been on schedule, 2013 which marks the 50th anniversary of the
Indian space program, would have witnessed a race to the moon between the two
Asian space powers – India and China.
It may
recalled that at the 17th National Space Science Symposium which was held at
Tirupati last month, former chairman of ISRO, U. R. Rao, was all praise for the
Chinese space program. He said that it was well defined and had a clear road
map.
After
Chang’e-3, Chang’e-4 will be launched. Together, they will complete the task of
landing on the moon in the second phase of China’s lunar exploration program.
According to Xinhua News, Chang’e-5 will be launched in 2017 and will send back
samples of moon rock to earth for analysis from a depth of two meters.
China’s
first mission to the moon, Chang’e-1, was launched on October 24, 2007 and the
second one on October 1, 2010. A recent white paper relating to the Chinese
space program stated that the final aim of the lunar exploration program was a
possible human landing on the moon sometime after 2020.
Srinivas
Laxman
Asian
Scientist Magazine.
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