Category Archives: Chang’e Program

Thursday / 14 Dec 2017

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Chang’e-3 Begins 5th Year On Moon Continuing LUT Astronomy While Chang’e-4 Prepares For 2018 Launches With VLF Antennas

Dec 14 Marks Full 4 Years Of Operating On Lunar Surface For Chang’e-3, Currently In 50th Lunar Night; China Plans To Launch Chang’e-4 Lander & Rover In Dec 2018 To Accomplish 1st Ever Lunar Far Side Mission, Likely In South-Pole Aitken Basin; Relay Satellite To Earth-Moon L2 To Be Launched First In June; Both Lander & Satellite To Carry 3 Orthogonal Low-Frequency Radio Spectrometer Antennas For Astronomical Measurements Below 30 MHz; Chang’e-5 Sample Return Mission Now Manifested For NET 2018

Credits: SASTIND, Wen Wei Po, CNSA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 13-16 Oct 2017

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Busiest Year For Moon Landings Since 1970s:
2018 India And China Lunar Lander Plans

India Chandrayaan-2 Lander, Rover & Orbiter Expected To Launch To Moon Polar Region March 2018 On GSLV Mk 2; China Chang’e-3 Lander Still Operating On Moon Surface Could See CE-4 Orbiter May-Jun 2018, Followed By Lander / Rover In Oct To Far Side, And CE-5 Sample Return Mission To NW Near-Side Before End Of 2018; New Chapter In Commercial Space For India, GLXP Team Indus Carrying Japan Team Hakuto Planning To Launch On PSLV Early 2018 To Attempt Moon Landing; Enterprises Moon Express, Synergy Moon, SpaceIL Also Working To Win GLXP With Mission Completion Deadline Set Mar 31, 2018

Credits: ISRO, CNSA, NAOC, CAS, ME, GLXP, et al

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 16-19 June 2017

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Moon South Pole Missions With Strong International Collaboration Being Advanced By China

Chang’e-4 Lander / Rover Launching To Far Side / Moon South Pole Aitken ~Oct 2018 To Carry 11 Payloads Including 4 Developed By Other Countries; China Likely To Cooperate With Europe On Common Goals Such As International Moon Village Or Research Station According To Liu Jizhong; Russia NPO Lavochkin In Talks With China Since CE-4, 5, 6 Similar To Russia Luna-26, 27, 28; CE-5 Set For Late Nov 2017 Launch, CE-4 Orbiter May 2018 For Moon Far Side, CE-6 Sample Return Far Side 2019-20, Possibilities For CE-7 & CE-8; China Developing Low Cost Long March 7 & Heavy Lift March 5; Advocacy For China Sending Women To Moon

Credits: CNSA, NAOC, CAS, ESA, Roscosomos

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 9-12 June 2017

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China Preparing For Human Moon Mission

Yang Liwei, Deputy Director General Of China Manned Space Agency & First Person From China In Space, At GLEX 6-8 June 2017 In Beijing Announces Preliminary Preparations For Crewed Lunar Missions Consisting Of Crewed Spaceship, Propulsion Vehicle, Lunar Lander; Yang Says If Given The Opportunity He Would ‘Be Thrilled’ To Land On The Moon; China Working Toward Chang’e-5 Sample Return Launch November To Mons Rumker Region 40.8° N 58.1° W, CE-4 To Far Side 2018, CE-6, -7 And -8, With Tiangong-2 and Tianhe-1 Developments – Leading To Human Moon Missions And Lunar Base Build Out Before ~2036

Credits: CNSA, ILOA, GLEX, China Manned Space Engineering, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 2-5 June 2017

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ILOA Galaxy Forum China 2017 Precedes IAF Global Space Exploration Conference In Beijing

Astronomy From The Moon & International Human Moon Missions Focus Of 3-Hour 2-Part Program 5 June At BICC, On Eve Of GLEX 2017, Highlights Global Lunar Exploration Priorities; Organized By International Lunar Observatory Association Of Hawai`i; Part 1) Wang Jing Of NAOC On CE3 Lunar Ultra-Violet Telescope, Hakim Malasan Of ITB On Indonesia Future Astronomy, Steve Durst Of ILOA On Galaxy First Light Imaging; P2) Christian Lange Of CSA On Canadian Lunar Payloads & Technology, Guo Linli Of CAST On China Lunar Base Concept, Andrew Aldrin Of ShareSpace Foundation On USA / International Human Missions To The Moon

Credits: ILOA, NAOC, CNSA, CSA, ShareSpace, ESA, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 17-20 March 2017

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Human Moon Mission Planning Advances In USA, China, Russia

US Gov Surveying Feasibility Of Human Moon Flyby Sep 2018 On Orion / SLS / EM-1, Private Venture SpaceX Plans 2018 Circumlunar Trip For 2 Tourists, Blue Origin Proposes 2020 Moon South Pole Cargo Deliveries To Start Permanent Human Settlement; China Chief Lunar Exploration Designer Hu Hao Announces Success Of CE-5 Sample Return Launching Nov 2017 Will Pave Way For Human Landing Mission Which ‘Should Be Carried Out ASAP’; Russia Begins Selection Of 6-8 Cosmonauts For Federatsiya Spacecraft Intended To Fly To Moon, First Uncrewed Test Flight Planned 2021 On New Angara Rocket

Credits: NASA, CNSA, Roscosmos, SpaceX, Blue Origin

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 6-9 January 2017

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China And India Next-Gen Moon Missions, Planning For Mars, Venus, Jupiter

China CE-5 Sample Return Mission To Launch Late 2017; CE-4 Orbiter To Support Moon South Pole / Far Side Aitken Basin Lander & Rover Mission Launching 2018; Chief Lunar Scientist Ouyang Ziyuan Says Precise Lunar Digital Map And 4.36 x 2.2 Meter Drawing To Be Finished 2018, Released 2020; First China Mars Probe Expected 2020, Jupiter Exploration To Follow; India Chandrayaan-2 Moon Orbiter, Lander & Rover Likely 2018 For Polar Mission To Study Atmosphere, Temperature, Plasma Environment; ISRO Associate Director M. N. Rao Says Its Planning Cost Effective Jupiter & Venus Missions, Analyzing Satellites & Rockets Needed; Mars Orbiter 2 To Launch 2018; Team Indus To Launch Two Lunar Rovers On PSLV Late 2017

Credits: ISRO, CAS, NASA

Special Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 14-17 Oct 2016

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First Woman On The Moon:
Chinese? American? Other?

international-woman-on-the-moon

While 46 Of The 60 Women Astronauts Are American, NASA Has No Plans To Put 1st Woman On Moon, Reclaim Greatest Advance In Human History / Multi World Species, Reach New Frontier Of Moon South Pole; China May Be Well Positioned To Put 1st Woman On Moon As Chang’e, Tiangong, Long March Rocket Programs Prove Reliability, And Planning Shows Step-By-Step Logical Progression; Russia & ESA Hope For Eventual Human Lunar Bases, Japan Plans Human Lander After SELENE-3, Canada Participating In ISECG Road Map Which May Include Moon Missions & On NASA Robotic Resource Prospector Mission 2018, S Korea Focusing On 1st Moon Orbiter 2018, Robotic Lander / Rover 2020

Pictured: L-R, T-B: Wang Yaping, Liu Yang (China), Julie Payette (Canada), Naoko Yamazaki (Japan), Yelena Serova (Russia), Yi So-yeon (S Korea)

Credits: CNSA, NASA, CSA, KARI, RSA, JAXA

Thursday / 30 June 2016

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New Hainan Spaceport / Moonport  “China’s Cape Canaveral” Opens With LM-7 First Launch

LED-6-29-16

New Wenchang Satellite Launch Center At 19°N 110°E On Hainan Island, Southern-most Province Off Southeast Coast of China Is 20-km2 Complex With 2 Main Launch Sites, Rocket Assembly Plant, Command Center, Tracking Stations; Will Host China’s Largest, Most Ambitious Launches For Decades To Come, Including Chang’e 4-6, Mars Probes, Eventual Human Moon Missions, China Space Station; Astronaut Leroy Chiao Sums Up China Space Program “The Message Is The Same That It’s Been For Some Time. They’re In This Game To Stay. They’re Making Long-term Plans To Stay In Space & Expand Their Presence In Space”

Credit:Google, CNSA

Friday / 24 June 2016

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China Chang’e-5 Propulsion System Completing Tests, Hainan Spaceport Maiden Launch 26 June

China Human Moon, CE5

CE-5 Sample Return Mission On Track For 2017 Launch With Lander, Rover, Orbiter Completing Final Propulsion System R&D, General Assembly & General Testing At CASC; China In Prime Position To Help Lead Effort To Put Humans On Moon With Inaugural Hainan Spaceport / Moonport Launch Of Long March 7 On 26 June, Development Of Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, Tiangong-2 Space Lab Launch NET Sep, Long March 5 Launch Sep-Oct, Tiangzhou-1 Crewed Launch Apr 2017, CE-4 In 2018, CE-6 In 2020

Credit: CASC, CNSA, China.org.cn, Xinhua, CCTV News