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It's confirmed, China's going to the Lunar farside!

xenomorph555

By xenomorph555
in Science & Spaceflight

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xenomorph555

xenomorph555

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It has now been confirmed that Chang'e 4, which has been sitting around in some warehouse for 2 years, has now been set a new mission (after C-3 achieved a mostly perfect success -Yutu breaking). That mission... is to be the first probe... to land on the lunar farside!

The mission will be launched in 2 parts, a relay satellite to L2 (halo orbit) for communication, and then the probe itself. Both will be launched on LM-3B's in late 2018.

The probe will carry the equipment as before as well as some new equipment. It will carry the Yutu 2.0 (not actual name).

Engineering objectives;

To realize the first soft landing on the lunar farside and perform exploration in human history.

To demonstrate technologies of lunar data relay, landing and roving on complicated terrains of the lunar farside, and lunar night power generation;

To perform further detailed survey on lunar environment in order to lay a foundation for subsequent lunar exploration mission.

Scientific objectives;

To study lunar surface dust features and its formation mechanism;

To perform in-situ measurement of lunar surface residual magnetism

and study its interaction with solar wind;

To study lunar surface temperature and particle radiation environment;

To perform lunar surface topology and material composition analysis,

shallow-layer structure survey and study;

To explore and study lunar interior structure of spheres;

To perform lunar based VLF astronomical observation and study

Finally I should note that this will be an international cooperation mission with ESA and possibly others involved such as Russia or India, no US though.

Edited by xenomorph555
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r4pt0r

r4pt0r

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China is also "considering" a manned landing, possibly in the next 15 years.

I missed the all the other ones by ~20 years, so I wouldn't mind reading subtitles to see it live and in glorious HD.

The flag colors will last longer...

Thats not exactly how it works lol.

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Superfluous J

Superfluous J

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How are they going to relay comms via L2? That position is still occluded by the Moon... Now L3, I could see that.

Earth has dozens of satellites that can see L2, but none that can see the surface of the far side. So the signal would go lander->L2->(some satellite they pay to use)->Earth.

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xenomorph555

xenomorph555

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Earth has dozens of satellites that can see L2, but none that can see the surface of the far side. So the signal would go lander->L2->(some satellite they pay to use)->Earth.

That's a good assumption, although they would probably use one of their own satellites or use an ESA satellite (their cooperating so it would be free).

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magnemoe

magnemoe

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Earth has dozens of satellites that can see L2, but none that can see the surface of the far side. So the signal would go lander->L2->(some satellite they pay to use)->Earth.

How well will it work to stay close to L2 but still so far off that you can see Earth. yes you will need some fuel to keep position.

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Kryten

Kryten

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How well will it work to stay close to L2 but still so far off that you can see Earth. yes you will need some fuel to keep position.

No, you just need a halo orbit that isn't covered by the moon (i.e. roughly perpendicular to the earth-moon plane)

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vixr

vixr

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China is also "considering" a manned landing, possibly in the next 15 years.

I missed the all the other ones by ~20 years, so I wouldn't mind reading subtitles to see it live and in glorious HD.

Thats not exactly how it works lol.

Ha! I know the same side just faces Kerbin all the time...Just my weak attempt at humor.

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YNM

YNM

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Lagrange points are always used with halo (or some say, lissajous) orbit, going around it - no way to put some box precisely on a really small point.

Good thing there, hopefully it's going to include a returning sample. Would answer whether Earth actually had two moons that collides with each other.

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xenomorph555

xenomorph555

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Lagrange points are always used with halo (or some say, lissajous) orbit, going around it - no way to put some box precisely on a really small point.

Good thing there, hopefully it's going to include a returning sample. Would answer whether Earth actually had two moons that collides with each other.

Chang'e 4 will be a rover mission unfortunately, Chang'e 6 (SRM) might visit the far side though. However that would require it to be un-cancelled.

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