NEWS
China launched its second unmanned lunar probe, Chang’E 2, on October 1, 2010, as part of the first stage of a three-step moon mission, which in the next stage will culminate in a soft-landing on the moon. The satellite blasted off on a Long March (LM) carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province. “Chang’E 2 lays the foundation for the soft-landing on the moon and further exploration of outer space,” said Wu Weiren, Chief Designer of China’s lunar orbiter project. Chang’E 2, named after a legendary Chinese Goddess of moon, will orbit 100 km above the moon, compared with 200 km for Chang’E 1.

VIEWS
China’s interest in luna r exploration programme is believed to have been ignited by an incident in 1978 when the U.S. National Security Advisor Brzezinski gave Chairman Hua Guofeng, Mao’s successor, a one-gram moon rock sample brought back from the moon by the Apollo astronauts. China has come a long way since then.

The launch on October 1, 2010 of a Long March (LM) 3C rocket carrying the lunar orbiter Chang’E 2, the second lunar probe, was particularly symbolic as it marked the 61st anniversary of the foundation of the People’s Republic which is celebrated as China’s National Day. The spacecraft successfully entered the initial 117-minute lunar orbit at 100 km above the surface of the moon and will remain in orbit for around nine months exploring and mapping the lunar surface with its cameras providing a maximum imaging resolution of 10 metres or nearly 40 feet. The first Chinese lunar probe Chang’E 1, which was launched in October 2007, provided a peak resolution of 400 feet and remained in orbit till the end of 2008. Higher resolution available with Chang’E 2 is attributable to its comparatively lower orbit and the significantly better quality of sensors employed. The plan is to manoeuvre the satellite into an elliptical orbit with an apogee of 100 km and a perigee of 15 km. But beyond the symbolism, the lunar probe with the help of on board sophisticated cameras, will capture 3-D images that will help select a landing site paving the way for the launch of the Chang’E 3. This satellite which is designed to carry out the first unmanned soft landing on the surface of the moon is scheduled for launch in 2013.

The Chinese unmanned lunar exploration programme has been planned to be conducted in three phases. The Phase-I which involves collection of data with the help of lunar orbiters will conclude with the end of the Chang’E 2 mission. The second phase beginning with Chang’E 3 will involve robotic probes landing on the moon to collect and analyse lunar soil samples and transmit the data back to the earth. In Phase III, the robotic probe will come back to earth with samples of rocks and soil collected from the lunar surface for analysis by Chinese laboratories. Although no clear timeframes have yet been defined, reports state that the third phase of the programme should be completed by 2020.