16
1 Introduction
1.3 China’s Lunar Exploration Program
1.3.1 General Plan of CLEP
Since 1990s, scientists and aerospace experts began to study the scientific goals
and key technologies of China’s lunar exploration. At the beginning of 2004, the
first phase of CLEP was approved by the Chinese government, i.e. the project of
orbiting the Moon. The second and third phase of CLEP was listed in the “National
Guideline on Medium- and Long-Term Program for Science and Technology Development (from 2006 to 2020)” as one the 16 National Science and Technology Major
Programs. Proposal and preparation for the implementation of the second and third
phase of CLEP was initiated then.
There were three steps in CLEP including orbiting the Moon, landing on the
Moon, robotic sample and return from the Moon. The name of CLEP was named
after a fairy tale goddess of Chinese conventional culture [2, 3, 15].
The first step was orbiting the Moon from 2004 to 2007. The mission goals were:
developing and launch the first Chinese lunar probe to break through key technologies
for lunar orbiting exploration; exploring the lunar terrain, element abundance and
material distribution, lunar regolith, and space environment between the Earth and
the Moon globally; establishing primary engineering system of CLEP.
The second step was soft-landing and roving on the Moon from 2008 to
about 2013. The mission goals were: breaking through key technologies for
lunar soft-landing, roving on lunar surface, deep space telecommunication and
launching; developing lunar lander and rover for in situ exploration on lunar surface
including research on lunar terrain of landing site, geological structure and material
composition, and astronomy observation based on the Moon.
The third step was robotic sample and return from the Moon before 2020. The
mission goals were: breaking through key technologies for lunar sampler such as
driller and surface sampler, robotic operation on the Moon; studying the lunar sample
on ground laboratory after recovery of return capsule on the Earth based on in situ
analysis of the lunar sample in order to deepen the knowledge of the origin and
revolution of the Earth-Moon system.
Till 2014, four missions of CLEP were implemented successfully including the
Chang’E-1, the Chang’E-2, the Chang’E-3 and the Chang’E-5T, i.e. the circumlunar
return and reentry spacecraft.
1 Introduction
1.3 China’s Lunar Exploration Program
1.3.1 General Plan of CLEP
Since 1990s, scientists and aerospace experts began to study the scientific goals
and key technologies of China’s lunar exploration. At the beginning of 2004, the
first phase of CLEP was approved by the Chinese government, i.e. the project of
orbiting the Moon. The second and third phase of CLEP was listed in the “National
Guideline on Medium- and Long-Term Program for Science and Technology Development (from 2006 to 2020)” as one the 16 National Science and Technology Major
Programs. Proposal and preparation for the implementation of the second and third
phase of CLEP was initiated then.
There were three steps in CLEP including orbiting the Moon, landing on the
Moon, robotic sample and return from the Moon. The name of CLEP was named
after a fairy tale goddess of Chinese conventional culture [2, 3, 15].
The first step was orbiting the Moon from 2004 to 2007. The mission goals were:
developing and launch the first Chinese lunar probe to break through key technologies
for lunar orbiting exploration; exploring the lunar terrain, element abundance and
material distribution, lunar regolith, and space environment between the Earth and
the Moon globally; establishing primary engineering system of CLEP.
The second step was soft-landing and roving on the Moon from 2008 to
about 2013. The mission goals were: breaking through key technologies for
lunar soft-landing, roving on lunar surface, deep space telecommunication and
launching; developing lunar lander and rover for in situ exploration on lunar surface
including research on lunar terrain of landing site, geological structure and material
composition, and astronomy observation based on the Moon.
The third step was robotic sample and return from the Moon before 2020. The
mission goals were: breaking through key technologies for lunar sampler such as
driller and surface sampler, robotic operation on the Moon; studying the lunar sample
on ground laboratory after recovery of return capsule on the Earth based on in situ
analysis of the lunar sample in order to deepen the knowledge of the origin and
revolution of the Earth-Moon system.
Till 2014, four missions of CLEP were implemented successfully including the
Chang’E-1, the Chang’E-2, the Chang’E-3 and the Chang’E-5T, i.e. the circumlunar
return and reentry spacecraft.