China Readying 1st Moon Rover for Launch This Year

[beijingwalker]

China Readying 1st Moon Rover for Launch This Year

by Leonard David, SPACE.com’s Space Insider Columnist
Date: 19 June 2013 Time: 06:40 AM ET

As three Chinese astronauts zip around the Earth aboard a prototype space station, the country is gearing up to launch its first moon rover in the coming months.

China's robotic Chang'e 3 mission, reportedly slated to blast off toward the end of 2013, marks a big step forward in the nation's lunar exploration program. Chang'e 3 will become China's first craft to attempt a soft landing and rover deployment on the surface of the moon.

China’s multi-phase moon venture began with the orbiters Chang'e 1 and Chang'e 2, which launched in 2007 and 2010, respectively. Now Chinese space program officials are ready to shift to phase two.
China Readying 1st Moon Rover for Launch This Year | Space.com

 

[shuttler]

This is perhaps the biggest highlight of the year for aerospace China, even bigger than Shenzhou 10's mission in my opinion.
Go China and all the best!

 

[shuttler]

An animation vid showing our coming lunar missions:

[youku]XMjA5OTAyODE2[/youku]

 

[RangerPK]

Nice, good luck to Chinese endeavors for the moon. Its kina inspiring to see 60 years ago, no body would have guessed China would be going to the moon. They have came a long way just within half a century.

 

[cirr]

Step by step。

We are in no hurry。

And we can ramp up space related programmes any time we please，for the present annual budget for all the projects combined runs into only a few billion yuan，pocket change really。

 

[shuttler]

嫦娥探月3步曲 - 绕,降,回

Chang ‘e Lunar Exploration Trilogy：Orbiting, Landing and Returning

We are starting the second phase: Landing

 

[mughaljee]

Congratulation in advance.

 

[SirHatesALot]

Best of luck

 

[StarCraft_ZT]

nice job!!!

 

[East Asia United]

Step by step。

We are in no hurry。

And we can ramp up space related programmes any time we please，for the present annual budget for all the projects combined runs into only a few billion yuan，pocket change really。

Why? Don't you want to see Chinese on the Moon and Mars in the next 15 years? China can do it, therefore it SHOULD do it.

 

[tranquilium]

Why? Don't you want to see Chinese on the Moon and Mars in the next 15 years? China can do it, therefore it SHOULD do it.

There is no short cut in high tech development. You need basic tools to make better tools and you need to understand basic principles before advanced ones. While it is true late comer can go through certain steps faster by the virtue of having a clear goal and target, necessary steps still cannot be skipped. Before we can send people to the moon, we have to be able to send machines there first.

 

[romia]

I hear that India would launch a rover to Mars in Nov of this yr?Is it true?Any Indian friend could give me more details about this?

 

[Audio]

I hear that India would launch a rover to Mars in Nov of this yr?Is it true?Any Indian friend could give me more details about this?

No rover, only orbiter, programme is called (India) Mars Orbiter Mission.

 

[Azizam]

Best of luck for China!! China is growing so fast in all sectors.

 

[Anony]

Best of luck China.

One thing which I like about China is, they successfully keep their project classified and announce only when the program matures. As for example:- we all knew about j-20 in development but hardly any of us had information about j-31 also under development till very late.

On the other hand in India everyone of us know about AMCA in development even when it is under design phase.