December 2013
www.enterprisemission.com
http://www.spaceflight101.com/change-3.html
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http://www.spaceflight101.com/change-3.html
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Chang'e 3 - Mission Overview
Mission Updates
Chang’e 3 is China’s first lunar surface exploration mission using a lander and rover. Launching in December 2013, the mission is part of the second phase of China’s Lunar Exploration Program that has the ultimate goal of manned flights to the Moon. The mission is a follow-on to the Chang’e 1 and Chang’e 2 missions and will lay the foundations for future sample return flights that could begin as early as 2017.
Chang’e 1 was launched in 2007 and operated in lunar orbit for one year and four months, performing remote sensing operations using an instrument payload consisting of a high-resolution stereo camera, an imaging spectrometer, a laser altimeter, Gamma and X-Ray spectrometers, a microwave radiometer and a particle detector.
The spacecraft provided a high resolution map of the Moon and a wealth of scientific data including data on the chemical composition of the lunar surface and the particle environment of Earth and Moon.
Chang’e 2 launched in 2010 and had a similar mission using improved instruments. The spacecraft conducted science operations in lunar orbit before starting an extended mission, performing a transfer to the Earth-Sun L2 Lagrangian Point for testing of the Chinese tracking equipment and to demonstrate the operation of deep space missions.
In April 2012, Chang’e 2 departed L2 and headed for a close flyby of asteroid Toutatis that was completed on December 13, 2012 with Chang’e coming as close as 3.2 Kilometers. As of late 2013, the spacecraft was still operational, continuing to cruise through deep space to further demonstrate deep-space operations for future missions.
Data from Chang’e 1 and Chang’e 2 was used to pick a landing spot for Chang’e 3 which is the first Chinese mission to the lunar surface.
Named for the goddess of the Moon in Chinese mythology, Chang’e 3 launches atop a Long March 3B rocket on December 1, 2013 headed for insertion into Lunar Orbit on December 6. Landing on the surface of the Moon on December 14, Chang’e 3 becomes the first craft to make a soft landing on the Moon in 37 years.
The Chang’e 3 lander as well as the rover carry scientific payloads that are going to be used to study the Moon, other galaxies and stars as well as the near-Earth space environment. The lander is expected to perform a science mission of at least one year while the rover is hoped to be operational for three months or longer to explore the lunar surface.
Mission Updates
Chang’e 3 is China’s first lunar surface exploration mission using a lander and rover. Launching in December 2013, the mission is part of the second phase of China’s Lunar Exploration Program that has the ultimate goal of manned flights to the Moon. The mission is a follow-on to the Chang’e 1 and Chang’e 2 missions and will lay the foundations for future sample return flights that could begin as early as 2017.
Chang’e 1 was launched in 2007 and operated in lunar orbit for one year and four months, performing remote sensing operations using an instrument payload consisting of a high-resolution stereo camera, an imaging spectrometer, a laser altimeter, Gamma and X-Ray spectrometers, a microwave radiometer and a particle detector.
The spacecraft provided a high resolution map of the Moon and a wealth of scientific data including data on the chemical composition of the lunar surface and the particle environment of Earth and Moon.
Chang’e 2 launched in 2010 and had a similar mission using improved instruments. The spacecraft conducted science operations in lunar orbit before starting an extended mission, performing a transfer to the Earth-Sun L2 Lagrangian Point for testing of the Chinese tracking equipment and to demonstrate the operation of deep space missions.
In April 2012, Chang’e 2 departed L2 and headed for a close flyby of asteroid Toutatis that was completed on December 13, 2012 with Chang’e coming as close as 3.2 Kilometers. As of late 2013, the spacecraft was still operational, continuing to cruise through deep space to further demonstrate deep-space operations for future missions.
Data from Chang’e 1 and Chang’e 2 was used to pick a landing spot for Chang’e 3 which is the first Chinese mission to the lunar surface.
Named for the goddess of the Moon in Chinese mythology, Chang’e 3 launches atop a Long March 3B rocket on December 1, 2013 headed for insertion into Lunar Orbit on December 6. Landing on the surface of the Moon on December 14, Chang’e 3 becomes the first craft to make a soft landing on the Moon in 37 years.
The Chang’e 3 lander as well as the rover carry scientific payloads that are going to be used to study the Moon, other galaxies and stars as well as the near-Earth space environment. The lander is expected to perform a science mission of at least one year while the rover is hoped to be operational for three months or longer to explore the lunar surface.