EXTERNAL CONTENT
China to launch lunar probe in 2013
By Anne-Francoise Pele Click here to see all contentChina announced it will launch its third spacecraft to the moon as part of its Lunar Exploration Program in the second half of 2013, according to the state Xinhua news agency.
The Chang'e 3, named after the Chinese goddess of the moon, is part of the second step of China's three-phrase lunar probe project of orbiting, landing and returning.
Chang'e 3 includes a lander and rover that will jointly carry out exploration activities. Scientific objectives include investigating the lunar landscape and exploring the geological structure of the moon. The rover will carry a nuclear-powered battery -expected to last up to 30 years- that will last throughout the long and cold lunar nights.
China launched the Chang'e-1 in 2007 and the Chang'e-2 in 2010. The first probe gathered scientific data and a complete map of the moon while the second one created a full higher-resolution map of the moon and a high-definition image of Sinus Iridium.
Chang'e 3 is expected to be launched at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan province.
The Chang'e 3, named after the Chinese goddess of the moon, is part of the second step of China's three-phrase lunar probe project of orbiting, landing and returning.
Chang'e 3 includes a lander and rover that will jointly carry out exploration activities. Scientific objectives include investigating the lunar landscape and exploring the geological structure of the moon. The rover will carry a nuclear-powered battery -expected to last up to 30 years- that will last throughout the long and cold lunar nights.
China launched the Chang'e-1 in 2007 and the Chang'e-2 in 2010. The first probe gathered scientific data and a complete map of the moon while the second one created a full higher-resolution map of the moon and a high-definition image of Sinus Iridium.
Chang'e 3 is expected to be launched at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan province.
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Acepilot
8/2/2012 11:03 AM EDT
Cool... And just think: We put men on the moon 43 years ago and now, we can even put a man in space. Now that's progress!
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pcsalex
10/4/2012 7:27 AM EDT
We? who? just look up the records -- if they are still to find -- who constructed the whole program ...
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bmonk
8/2/2012 6:04 PM EDT
We did it in a hurry and the document in paper couldn't be located.
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Battar
8/8/2012 3:00 AM EDT
So China will be where the US was 40 years ago. I wouldn't call that a technological leap forward. A political move, maybe. If China could put up their own GPS or satellite phone link, then sell mobile handheld receivers which work using a communication standard of their own choosing, that would be the conquest of space.
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pcsalex
10/4/2012 7:22 AM EDT
I am afraid, that China does no worry about us --like we do about China --but about the moon.
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A Metcalfe
1/24/2013 4:58 PM EST
They are clearly doing it for a reason and the fact that the US has been there is quite irrelevant, except to inflate xenophobic egos.
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