Chinese Lunar Exploration Program
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Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP) (Chinese: 中国探月; pinyin: Zhōngguó Tànyuè) is a program of robotic explorations and human missions to the Moon undertaken by China National Space Administration (CNSA), People's Republic of China's space agency. It uses Chang'e lunar orbiters, rovers and soil return spacecraft and adapted Long March 3A launch vehicle. The launch and the flight are monitored constantly by a TT&C System (Deep Space Tracking Network, with radio antennas of 50 m in Beijing, 40 m in Kunming, Shanghai and Ürümqi, forming a 3000 km VLBI antenna.[1][2]) and the Ground Application System, responsible for downlink data reception.
The first spacecraft of the program, Chang'e 1, an un-manned lunar orbiter was successfully launched at Xichang Satellite Launch Center on October 24, 2007[3] (delayed from 17–19 April 2007[4]) with further launches planned for 2008 or 2009 according to academician and chief designer Long Lehao.[5]
Ouyang Ziyuan, one of the most prominent Chinese experts in geological research on underground nuclear testing and extraterrestrial materials, was the first to advocate not only the exploitation of the known huge lunar reserves of metals such as iron, but also the mining of lunar helium-3 as an ideal fuel for nuclear fusion power plants. He is now in charge of the Chang'e program. He is known to be one of the strongest supporters of the Chinese human lunar exploration program.
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[edit] Program structure
According to the plan, the program will go through three milestones:
[edit] Orbiting (Chang’e 1 in 2007)
Chang'e 1 is a lunar orbiting spacecraft. According to the schedule, detailed program design of the first milestone was completed by September 2004. Research and development of a prototype probe and relevant testing of the probe was finished before the end of 2005. Design, manufacture, general assembly, test and ground experiments of the lunar orbiter was finished before December 2006. On October 24, 2007 the Chang'e 1 was launched.
[edit] Landing (Chang’e 2 in 2009)
A spacecraft (Chang’e 2) will be launched to deploy a lunar lander for surface exploration in a limited area on the moon.
It is said that the second phase of the program would include the launch of at least two landers in 2008 or 2009,[6][7] that will carry small remote-controlled Moon rovers to conduct an inspection of the moon's surface and probe the moon's resources. It would also provide data to determine the selection of a moon base.
On December 14, 2005, many aspects of the above information were confirmed, when it was reported "an effort to launch lunar orbiting satellites will be supplanted in 2007 by a program aimed at accomplishing an unmanned lunar landing. A program to return unmanned space vehicles from the moon will begin in 2012 and last for five years, until the manned program gets underway" in 2017.[8]
A six-wheeled lunar vehicle due to be launched in 2013 has been under development since 2002 at the Shanghai Aerospace System Engineering Institute where a specialized testing laboratory has been outfitted to replicate the lunar surface. [9][10] The 1.5-meter high, 200-kilogram rover is designed to transmit video in real time, dig and analyze soil samples. In photographs, the rover appeared similar to NASA's unmanned Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers. Unlike the rechargeable lithium ion batteries used by those rovers, the Chinese model will eventually run on a nuclear power source to ensure a constant energy supply. With an average speed of 100 meters/hour, it can negotiate inclines and has automatic sensors to prevent it from crashing into other objects.
Rival rovers are being developed by similar institutes in Beijing and elsewhere.
[edit] Returning (Chang’e 3 in 2017)
On the basis of the lander mission, a lunar sample return mission (Chang’e 3) will be implemented. On the same date the manned program is expected to start.[11]
[edit] Future development
Currently, the second and third phases of the program are being planned. Both will require the availability of the heavy-lift Long March 5 (CZ-5) booster. Huang Chunping, the former head of rocket science at China's manned space program, told Xinhua news agency in March 2007 that the Long March 5 (CZ-5) rocket would be ready for launch 'in seven or eight years', which implied that CZ-5 would not be used in the second phase of the Chang'e program. It has been reported that the second phase might use a CZ-3B rocket instead. Nonetheless, the decision to develop a totally new moon rocket able to launch a 500 tons payload has been discussed in a 2006 conference by academician Zhang Guitian (张贵田), a liquid propellant rocket engine speciallist, who developed the CZ-2 and CZ-4A rockets engines.[12][13]
[edit] Human missions
It is highly expected that the fourth human space flight phase will start with a Circumlunar Shenzhou flight, since the Shenzhou spacecraft has been designed with a lunar return capable aerodynamics, as demonstrated by the similar Soyuz spacecraft during the L1 manned lunar program of the 1960s.[14]
The Hainan Spaceport, fourth and southernmost space center, will be upgraded to suit the new CZ-5 Heavy ELV and human lunar missions.
On occasion of the 2008 May Day celebration, a Lunar Roving Vehicle (月球车) was shown on a Chinese TV channel（东方卫视）.
[edit] Russian cooperation
Anatoly Perminov, head of the Russian Federal Space Agency revealed in September 2006 in RIA Novosti that the two countries were indeed working on the Moon as partners, and that the Russian-Chinese space sub-commission's priority was to conclude a joint Moon exploration agreement by the end of that year.[15]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ (Chinese) “嫦娥奔月”地面主干工程基本完成 云南天文台巨型射电追踪望远镜年底投入使用
- ^ http://tech.enorth.com.cn/system/2006/08/19/001388423.shtml
- ^ “嫦娥一号”发射时间确定 但未到公布时机. XINHUA Online (July 7, 2007). Retrieved on July 12, 2007.
- ^ (Chinese) 阅读文章
- ^ (Chinese) ĸУӻªµ®Ôºê¿Äñíüꦶ÷ ¿Çô½°Ë¸Öêà¼Íµäïà¾Û(×Éí¼)_Tomðâîå
- ^ http://www.cast.ac.cn/CastCn/Show.asp?ArticleID=15124
- ^ Chinese scientists prepare for mission to the moon. XINHUA Online (July 26, 2006). Retrieved on September 14, 2006.
- ^ CIO Today
- ^ 登月车构造原理. 新华网 (April 24, 2008). Retrieved on April 24, 2008.
- ^ 中国首辆登月车工程样机. 新华网 (April 24, 2008). Retrieved on April 24, 2008.
- ^ CIO Today
- ^ 针对我们国家登月火箭的猜测. war-sky (November 12, 2007). Retrieved on November 20, 2007.
- ^ 河北院士联谊. 河北院士联谊会秘书处 (November 20, 2007). Retrieved on November 20, 2007.
- ^ Shenzhou Circumlunar
- ^ Russia, China could sign Moon exploration pact in 2006. RIA Novosti (September 11, 2006). Retrieved on September 14, 2006.
- Sūn Huīxiān (孙辉先), Dài Shùwǔ (代树武), Yáng Jiànfēng (杨建峰), Wú Jì (吴季) and Jiāng Jǐngshān (姜景山) (2005). "Scientific objectives and payloads of Chang’E-1 lunar satellite". Journal of Earth System Science 114: 789–794. doi:.
[edit] External links
- CLEP Official site
- Encyclopedia Astronautica
- The Scientific Objectives of Chinese Lunar Exploration Project by Ouyang Ziyuan
- 我国发射首颗探月卫星专题
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