Scientific Progress in China's Lunar Exploration Program

Chang'E-1, the first lunar mission in China, was successfully launched on October 24,2007, which opened the prelude of China's Lunar Exploration Program. Later on, the Chang'E-2 and Chang'E-3 satellites were successfully launched in 2010 and 2013, respectively. In order to achieve the science objectives, various payloads boarded the spacecraft. The scientific data from these instruments were received by Beijing and Kunming ground stations simultaneously. Up to now, about 5.628 Terabytes of raw data were received totally. A series of research results has been achieved. This paper presents a brief introduction to the main scientific results and latest progress from Chang'E-3 mission.     

嫦娥一号绕月探测器轨道投入过程实时监测判定的原理与技术实现

深空探测任务中的轨道机动是保证探测器进入预定轨道的关键环节, 也是实际测控 任务中的重点和难点. 在轨道机动过程中, 探测器通过点火产生自身加速度, 此过程会造成飞行状态不稳定, 使得对卫星机动过程的预测和判定变得更加复杂. 针对这些问题, 结合中国第一个深空探测任务嫦娥一号(CE-1)卫星, 对其轨道机动段, 特别是近月点入轨制动这一关键弧段, 提出了基于视向速度对探测器飞行状态进行实时监测估计的原理和方法, 进一步建立了相应的实时监测系统, 并应用于实际工程任务, 同时对该系统的表现进行评估, 为未来深空探测中的类似问题提供了一种有效的解决方法.      

Progress in China's Lunar Exploration Program

Chang'E-1 and Chang'E-2 of China's Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP) have successfully achieved their mission. At the present time, only Chang'E-3 is still in operation, which was successfully launched on December 2, 2013. Chang'E-3 probe is the third robotic lunar mission of CLEP, which consists of a lander and a rover, with eight payloads on board the spacecraft. Up to December 21, 2015, more than 2.86TB raw data were received from these instruments onboard Chang'E-3 probe. A series of research results have been achieved. This paper gives a detailed introduction to the new scientific results obtained from Chang'E-3 missions.      

Preliminary Scientific Results of Chang'E-1 Lunar Orbiter: Based on Payloads Detection Data in the First Phase

Chang'E-1 lunar Orbiter was launched by Long March 3A rocket from Xichang Satel-lite Launch Center at 18:05BT(Beijing Time) Oct.24,2007.It is the first step of its ambitious three-stage moon program,a new milestone in the Chinese space exploration history.The primary science objectives of Chang'E-1 lunar orbiter are to obtain three-Dimension(3D) stereo images of the lunar surface,to analyze the distribution and abundance of elements on the surface,to investigate the thickness of lunar soil,evaluate helium-3 resources and other characteristics,and to detect the space environment around the moon.To achieve the above four mission objectives,eight sets of scientific instruments are chosen as the payloads of the lunar orbiter,including a CCD stereo camera(CCD),a Sagnac-based interferometer spectrometer(ⅡM),a Laser Altimeter(LAM),a Microwave Radiometer(MRM),a Gamma-Ray Spectrometer(GRS),an X-ray spectrometer(XRS),a High-Energy Particle Detector(HPD),and two Solar Wind Ion Detectors(SWID).The detected data of the payloads show that all payloads work well.This paper introduces the status of payloads in the first phase and preliminary scientific results.     

China's Lunar and Deep Space Exploration Program for the Next Decade (2020-2030)

China has carried out four unmanned missions to the Moon since it launched Chang'E-1, the first lunar orbiter in 2007. With the implementation of the Chang'E-5 mission this year, the three phases of the lunar exploration program, namely orbiting, landing and returning, have been completed. In the plan of follow-up unmanned lunar exploration missions, it is planned to establish an experimental lunar research station at the lunar south pole by 2030 through the implementation of several missions, laying a foundation for the establishment of practical lunar research station in the future. China successfully launched its first Mars probe on 23 July 2020, followed in future by an asteroid mission, second Mars mission, and a mission to explore Jupiter and its moons.      

An introduction to the lunar and planetary science activities in Korea

Korea is planning a series of lunar space programs in 2020 starting with a lunar orbiter and a lander with a rover. Compared to other countries, Korea has a relatively brief history in space and planetary sciences. With the expected Korean missions on the near-term horizon and the relatively few Korean planetary scientists, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) has established a new planetary research group focusing on development of prospective lunar instruments, analysis of the publicly available planetary data of the Moon, organizing nationwide planetary workshops, and initiating planetary educational programs with academic institutions. Korea has also initiated its own rocket development program, which could acquire a rocket-launch capability toward the Korean lunar mission. For the prospective Korea’s lunar science program, feasibility studies for some candidate science payloads have been started since 2010 for an orbiter and a lander. The concept design of each candidate instrument has been accomplished in 2012. It is expected that the development of science payloads may start by 2014 as Phase A. Not only developing hardware required for the lunar mission but also educational activities for young students are high priorities for Korea. The new plan of the Korean lunar mission can be successfully accomplished with international cooperative outreach programs in conjunction with internationally accessible planetary data system (PDS). This paper introduces the KIGAM’s international cooperative planetary research and educational programs and also summarizes other nationwide new developments for Korean lunar research projects at Kyung Hee University and Hanyang University.     

CAS-1 lunar soil simulant

Lunar soil simulant is a geochemical reproduction of lunar regolith, and is needed for lunar science and engineering researches. This paper describes a new lunar soil simulant, CAS-1, prepared by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, to support lunar orbiter, soft-landing mission and sample return missions of China’s Lunar Exploration Program, which is scheduled for 2004–2020. Such simulants should match the samples returned from the Moon, all collected from the lunar regolith rather than outcrops. The average mineral and chemical composition of lunar soil sample returned from the Apollo 14 mission, which landed on the Fra Mauro Formation, is chosen as the model for the CAS-1 simulant. Source material for this simulant was a low-Ti basaltic scoria dated at 1600 years from the late Quaternary volcanic area in the Changbai Mountains of northeast China. The main minerals of this rock are pyroxene, olivine, and minor plagioclase, and about 20–40% modal glass. The scoria was analyzed by XRF and found to be chemically similar to Apollo 14 lunar sample 14163. It was crushed in an impact mill with a resulting median particle size 85.9 μm, similar to Apollo soils. Bulk density, shear resistance, complex permittivity, and reflectance spectra were also similar to Apollo 14 soil. We conclude that CAS-1 is an ideal lunar soil simulant for science and engineering research of future lunar exploration program.     

The simulation of lunar gravity field recovery from D-VLBI of Chang’E-1 and SELENE lunar orbiters

The lunar gravity field is a foundation to study the lunar interior structure, and to recover the evolution history of the Moon. It is still an open and key topic for lunar science. For above mentioned reasons, it becomes one of the important scientific objectives of recent lunar missions, such as KAGUYA (SELENE) the Japanese lunar mission and Chang’E-1, the Chinese lunar mission. The Chang’E-1 and the SELENE were successfully launched in 2007. It is estimated that these two missions can fly around the Moon longer than 6 months simultaneously. In these two missions, the Chinese new VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometry) network will be applied for precise orbit determination (POD) by using a differential VLBI (D-VLBI) method during the mission period. The same-beam D-VLBI technique will contribute to recover the lunar gravity field together with other conventional observables, i.e. R&RR (Range and Range Rate) and multi-way Doppler. Taking VLBI tracking conditions into consideration and using the GEODYNII/SOVLE software of GSFC/NASA/USA [8 and 10], we simulated the lunar gravity field recovering ability with and without D-VLBI between the Chang’E-1 and SELENE main satellite. The cases of overlapped flying and tracking period of 30 days, 60 days and 90 days have been analyzed, respectively. The results show that D-VLBI tracking between two lunar satellites can improve the gravity field recovery remarkably. The results and methods introduced in this paper will benefit the actual missions.     

基于嫦娥一号观测数据的月球形貌可视化技术

通过对月球形貌可视化技术的研究, 分析了利用嫦娥一号获取的月球地形和正射影像数据制作月球形貌图的技术方法. 重点介绍了广泛应用于嫦娥一号数据处理和分析的晕渲地形图制作、月球地形影像假彩色融合和三维形貌场景构建的原理, 并给出了每种方法的应用实例. 这些方法为后续月球探测研究、月球空间信息系统以及``数字月球'的建设奠定了基础.      

Technology Progress Report for Microwave Remote Sensing

In this presentation, technological progress for China's microwave remote sensing is introduced. New developments of the microwave remote sensing instruments for China's lunar exploration satellite (Chang'E-1), meteorological satellite FY-3 and ocean dynamic measurement satellite (HY-2) are reported.     

The Japanese lunar mission SELENE: Science goals and present status

The Japanese lunar mission SELENE (SELenological and ENgineering Explorer) has been in development to target launch scheduled 2007 summer by H-IIA rocket. The SELENE is starting final integration test after SAR (System Acceptance Review), SRR (System Reliability Review) and instrument environment test. The SELENE is a remote-sensing mission orbiting 100 km altitude of the Moon for nominal one year and extended some months to collect the data for studying the origin and evolution of the Moon. Fourteen instruments and experiment systems are preparing for studies of the Moon, in the Moon, and from the Moon; global element and mineral compositions, topological structure, gravity field of whole moon, and electromagnetic and particle environment of the Moon. The new data center SOAC (SELENE Operation and data Analysis Center) are completed to construct in JAXA Sagamihara campus, and end-to-end test will be carried out between SOAC and data downlink stations.     

极月轨道上太阳电池阵外热流规律分析

准确的月球表面温度分布模型对于开展月球探测具有重要意义. 目前有关月球表面温 度模型还缺乏对完整月球表面温度分布的计算方法研究. 本文建立了一套计算完整月球表面温度的方法, 其中月球阳面温度采用Racca模型直接计算得到; 对于月球阴面, 将其沿纬度方向划分为若干区域, 每个区域的地表土壤采用一维非稳态热传导模型, 根据嫦娥三号着陆器太阳电池阵在轨环月阶段的温度数据, 修正得到月球表面土壤导热系数、密度及比热容, 通过数值计算求解一维非稳态热传导方程, 得出任意时刻月球阴面表面温度随时间的变化. 嫦娥三号着陆器太阳电池阵环月阶段热分析结果与在轨温度符合较好, 初步说明本文建立的完整月球表面温度计算方法正确可行. 基于本文方法计算得到整个月球表面温度分布, 进一步研究了极月轨道太阳电池阵外热流变化规律.      

Overview of the Latest Scientific Results of China's Lunar Exploration Program

China's Chang'E-4 probe successfully landed on 3 January 2019 in Von Kármán crater within the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin on the lunar far side. Based on the data acquired by the scientific payloads onboard the lander and the rover, the researchers obtained the related information such as the geologic and tectonic setting of the landing area, compositional characteristics of the landing surface materials, dielectric permittivity and density of the lunar soil. The experiments confirmed the existence of materials dominated by olivine and low-calcium pyroxene in the SPA basin on the lunar far side, which preliminary revealed the geological evolution history of the SPA basin and even that of the early time lunar crust, as well as the tectonic setting and formation mechanism of the materials in the lunar interior. The researchers also inves-tigated the particle radiation, Linear Energy Transaction (LET) spectrum, and so forth on the lunar surface. The low-frequency radio observations were carried out on the lunar far side for the first time as well. This article summarizes the latest scientific results in the past years, focusing on the Chang'E-4 mission. Key words CLEP, Chang'E-4, Scientific objectives, Scientific payloads, Scientific results      

月球表面巡视探测GNC技术

嫦娥三号巡视器是中国首个地外天体表面巡视探测器, 其制导、导航及控制 (GNC)技术与地球卫星等航天器完全不同. 探测器实现月表巡视探测需要在地 外天体表面确定自身位置、航向及姿态, 识别周围地形环境并寻找安全路径, 控制巡视器沿规划路径安全行驶等. 本文针对嫦娥三号巡视器月面巡视对GNC系统的 任务要求及工作性能, 对月面自主导航定姿定位、协调运动控制、环境感知、 路径规划、激光探测避障以及地面试验等重要技术环节进行了分析, 研究月面制 导、导航与控制特性并进行实验验证, 进而对巡视器GNC技术进行了模拟仿真.      

Progress for Spaceborne Microwave Remote Sensing in China

In this paper,technological progress for China's microwave remote sensing is intro-duced.New developments of the microwave remote sensing instruments for meteorological satellite FY-3,ocean dynamic measurement satellite(HY-2),environment small SAR satellite(HJ-1C) and China's lunar exploration satellite(Chang'E-1),geostationary orbit meteorological satellite FY-4M,are reported.      

Simulation study for the determination of the lunar gravity field from PRARE-L tracking onboard the German LEO mission

A simulation study has been performed at GFZ Potsdam, which shows the anticipated improvement of the lunar gravity field model with respect to current (LP150Q model) or near-future (SELENE) knowledge in the framework of the planned German Lunar Explorations Orbiter (LEO) mission, based on PRARE-L (Precise Range And Range-rate Equipment – Lunar version) Satellite-to-Satellite (SST) and Satellite-Earth-Satellite (SEST) tracking observations. It is shown that the global mean error of the lunar gravity field can be reduced to less than 0.1 mGal at a spatial resolution of 50 km. In the spectral domain, this means a factor of 10 (long wavelengths) and some 100 (mid to short wavelengths) improvement as compared to predictions for SELENE or a factor of 1000 with respect to LP150Q. Furthermore, a higher spatial resolution of up to 28 km seems feasible and would correspond to a factor of 2–3 improvement of SELENE results. Moreover, PRARE-L is expected to derive the low-degree coefficients of the lunar gravity field with unprecedented accuracy. Considering long mission duration (at least 1 year is planned) this would allow for the first time a precise direct determination of the low-degree tidal Love numbers of the Moon and, in combination with high precision SEST, would provide an experimental basis to study relativistic effects such as the periselenium advance in the Earth–Moon system.     

The present status of the Japanese Penetrator Mission: LUNAR-A

The scientific objective of the LUNAR-A Japanese Penetrator Mission is to explore the lunar interior by seismic and heat-flow experiments. Two penetrators containing two-component seismometer and heat-flow probes will be deployed from a spacecraft onto the lunar surface, one on the nearside and the other on the farside of the moon. The data obtained by the penetrators will be transmitted to the ground station by way of the LUNAR-A mother spacecraft orbiting at an altitude of about 200 km. The seismic observations are expected to provide key data on the size of the lunar core, as well as data on the deep mantle structure. The heat-flow measurements at two different sites will also provide important data on the thermal structure and bulk concentrations of heat-generating elements in the Moon. These data will provide much stronger geophysical constraints on the origin and evolution of the Moon than has ever been obtained. The LUNAR-A mission was supposed to be launched in 2004. However, a malfunction of spacecraft subsystem and technical issues for penetrator system occurred during the course of the qualification level test. Therefore, further improvements and some modifications were considered to be required for reliability and robustness. The development of the mother spacecraft was temporarily suspended, while we have put a three-year program into effect to solve the penetrator technology issues.     

Some qualitative manifestations of the physical libration of the Moon by observing stars from the lunar surface

Targets and problems of the future Japanese project ILOM (In situ Lunar Orientation Measurement), which is planned to be realized as one kind of observations of lunar rotation at the second stage of SELENE-2 mission, are briefly described in the article. Inverse problem of lunar physical libration is formulated and solved. Accuracy of libration angles depending on accuracy of measuring selenographic coordinates is estimated. It is shown that selenographic coordinates of polar stars are insensitive to longitudinal librations τ(t). Comparing coordinates calculated for two models of a rigid and deformable Moon is carried out and components sensitive to Love number k₂ and to anelastic time delay are revealed.     

月球表面元素含量的定量分析方法

综合了月球元素定量研究在探测手段和定量方法等方面取得的最新进展。在探测手段方面,介绍了美国最近发射的克莱门汀和月球勘探者探测器使用的多谱段成像仪、中子探测仪以及γ谱仪的主要性能,在定量方法方面,讨论Fe、Ti以及稀土元素等在定量方法上的进展。     

月球主要构造特征：嫦娥一号月球影像初步研究

月球在31亿年前已基本停止地质活动,从而保留了其形成初期的信息．这些信息对于认识月球、地球乃至太阳系的形成演化具有重要意义．在已有研究成果的基础上,结合嫦娥一号探月卫星CCD影像数据,从月海穹窿、撞击坑、月岭、断裂、月坑链、月溪及月谷等方面介绍了月球主要构造形式的地质特征、形貌特征及遥感影像特征,对其成因以及所隐含的地质意义进行了分析．结果表明,嫦娥一号CCD影像信息丰富,影像清晰,利用其CCD影像数据进一步研究月球的构造现象是可行的．