Category Archives: Chang’e Program

Friday / 27 Sep 2019

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Zhongguo Scientists Measure Lunar Dust At Chang’e-3 Landing Site

Chang’e-3 Lander At Mare Imbrium Since December 2013 Contains Quartz Crystal Microbalance Used For Weighing Dust; Lanzhou Institute Of Physics Researchers Find That At Chang’e-3 Height Of 1.9 Meters Dust Accumulates At 0.0065 mg Per Square Centimeter Over 12 Lunar Days; Dust Is Considered Important For Human Return To Moon Both As A Challenge And Potential Resource; Now In Lunar Night 73, Lunar Ultraviolet Telescope Is Still Operational While Lander Is Powered Down To Allow For Chang’e-4 Communications

Credits: NAOC, CAS, NSA, ILOA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 20-23 Sep 2019

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China-Russia To Cooperate On Chang’e-7 And Luna-26

Roscosmos Head Dmitry Rogozin (L) And Zhang Keqiang Of CNSA (R) Sign Cooperation Agreement In Saint Petersburg; Zhongguo Planning Chang’e-5 Sample Return And Chang’e-6 Mission To South Pole On Long March 5 Booster; Russia Planning Luna-25 Landing In South Pole Region In 2021; Luna-26 Orbiter To Cooperate With Chang’e-7 In 2023-24; Russia Hoping For Lunar Sample Return In 2028; Both Nations Will Open Joint Data Center For Lunar And Deep Space Research

Credits: Roscosmos, IAF, NAOC

Tuesday / 9 July 2019

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Zhongguo / China Chang’e-5 To Test Artificial Intelligence And Technologies For Lunar Base 

Chang’e-5 Planned For Launch By End Of 2019, Will Be Aided By Artificial Intelligence In The Complicated Rendezvous And Docking Required For Lunar Sample Return; First Chief Scientist Ouyang Ziyuan Claims Technological Breakthroughs In 12 Phases Of Mission; Payload Of 8.2 Tons Planned For Launch By Long March 5 From Wenchang Space Launch Center On Hainan Island, To Include Shovel-Type Sampler And Drilling Sampler; Chang’e-5 Will Test Technologies For Lunar Base

Credits: CNSA, CAS, NAOC

Tuesday / 21 May 2019

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PRC Space Experts Note USA Artemis News 

Zhongguo China National Space Agency Experts Respond To USA Artemis Program; Chang’e-6 And Chang’e-7 Planned To Land At South Pole; Senior Scientist Ye Peijian (R) Says “Children Will Blame Us” If We Can Go To The Moon But Fail To Act; Pang Zhihao States That Lunar Base Can Be Used For Science Including Astronomy; Wu Weiren (L) Chief Architect Of Lunar Exploration Project, States That Chinese Footprints Will Be On Moon In About 10 Years

Credits: Xinhua News, CNSA

Thursday / 25 Apr 2019

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Space Day China Looks Forward To Lunar South Pole Within 10 Years

National Day Of Space Flight Meetings Are In Changsha 24 April, 49th Observation Of Dongfanghong-1, First Zhongguo Artificial Satellite; Theme Is “Pursue Space Dream For Win-Win Cooperation” With International Partners Contributing Science Experiments To Chang’e-4 And Queqiao Orbiter; Chang’e-4 Returns More Images Of Lunar Far Side While Chang’e-5 Is Planned For Late 2019; China National Space Administration Head Zhang Kejian (R), One Of Time Magazine’s 100 Influential People, Announces Plans To Build Research Station On Lunar South Pole Within 10 Years

Credits: CNSA, Space Day, Xinhua News, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Friday / 19 Apr 2019

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Chang’e-4 Scientific Data Release Benefits International Partners

China National Space Administration Holds Ceremony 18 April To Pass Chang’e-4 Scientific Data To International Partners; Dutch Scientists Will Receive Data From Netherlands-China Low-Frequency Explorer (NCLE) Astronomy Experiment On Queqiao Orbiter; Lander Neutrons And Dosimetry (LND) Experiment Is Built By Germany To Understand Radiation Effects On Regolith; Yutu-2 Rover Carries Small Analyzer For Neutrals (ASAN) Contributed By Sweden To Study Solar Wind; Liu Jizhong (L) Head Of Lunar Exploration And Science Center Announces That China Will Be Seeking 20 Kg Of International Scientific Payloads For Chang’e-6 South Pole Lander And Orbiter

Credits: CNSA, China News

Friday / 22 Feb 2019

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2019 Could See 4 International Moon Landers, Most Attempts Since 1970s

SpaceIL Beresheet “Genesis” May Become First Privately-Funded Lander To Reach Moon Surface ~11 Apr Depending On Falcon 9 Launch Set 21 Feb 20:45 ET; India Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter, Lander, Rover Launch On GSLV Mk 2 Scheduled Last Week Of March For 14-Day Journey To Manzinus / Simpelius Craters; Chang’e-4 Lander / Rover Operating On Far Side Since 3 Jan, And China Could Send Chang’e-5 Sample Return By End Of 2019 If Long March 5 Launch ~July Succeeds

Credits: SpaceIL, ISRO, CNSA, CLEP, NAOC, CAS, CCTV

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 1-4 Feb 2019

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Three More International Lunar Landings Preparing In 2019

Israel “Beresheet,” First Privately Built Lunar Lander To Reach Launch Site, Prepares At SpaceX Processing Facility In Cape Canaveral For Launch NET 18 February On 8-Week Voyage To Mare Serenitatis; NASA Contributes Laser Retroreflector Array And Use Of Deep Space Network For Beresheet; India Chandrayaan-2 (L) Set For Launch By End Of Apr; First Mission To Moon South Polar Region Consists Of 2380-kg Orbiter, 1470-kg Lander And 27-kg Rover; While Zhongguo Chang’e-3 And Chang’e-4 Are Operating, Chang’e-5 Lunar Sample Return (R) Scheduled For Late 2019, Depending On Launch Success Of Long March 5 In July

Credits: ISRO, SpaceIL, NAOC, CNSA

Tuesday / 29 Jan 2019

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Chang’e-4 Planned For Lunar Dawn Of Operations

Following Local Lunar Sunrise Chang’e-4 Is Expected To Resume Full Operation 29 January;  Critical Chang’e-4 Camera Pointing System Designed By Yung Kai-Leung (L) Of Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Wu Bo (R) Of University Geo-Informatics Dept Helps Select Landing Site In Von Karman Crater; NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Will Image Chang’e-4 Landing Site On 31 Jan; As Lunar New Year Approaches On 5 Feb, CNSA Has Two Successful Satellite Launches So Far In 2019; Long March 5 Booster Expected To Launch In Spring 2019 And Carry Chang’e-5 By December

Credits: CNSA, Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Tuesday / 22 Jan 2019

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USA / PRC Moon Collaboration To Be Discussed At UN Vienna Mid-Feb

NASA Headed By Jim Bridenstine (L), Will Work With China On Lunar Landing Research Following Discussions With CNSA, Headed By Zhang Kejian (R); NASA Scientists Are Exchanging Data With Chang’e-4 Science Team; Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Expected To Image Chang’e-4 Landing Site On 31 January; Lunar Data Will Be Shared With Global Research Community At Scientific And Technology Subcommittee Of UN Committee On Peaceful Uses Of Outer Space In Vienna 11-22 Feb; NASA Cooperation With CNSA To Be Transparent, Reciprocal And Mutually Beneficial

Credits: NASA, CNSA