Reports from China’s Xinhua.net news reported that China’s lunar rover Yutu 2 rover, (translates into english Jade Rabbit-2), has driven over 420 meters since landing on the far side of the moon. The far side of the Moon receives as much light as the side that faces the Earth, and each day on the Moon is 29.5 of our Earth days.
Since the Chinese spacecraft are powered on solar energy, both the lander and the rover of China’s Chang’e-4 probe have been put into sleep mode concluding the 16th successful lunar day according to the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration. Both spacecraft power down during the roughly 2-week darkness where temperatures plummet to -173 degrees Celsius. Typically spacecraft use heaters to stay warm enough to avoid damage. During portions of the daytime, the craft also need to power down to avoid damage to scientific instruments from the intense rays from the Sun.
China’s Chang’e-4 probe along with YuTu-2 were launched on Dec. 8, 2018, and made history when it made the first-ever soft landing on the Von Karman Crater in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon on Jan. 3, 2019. In Chinese folklore, the Jade Rabbit often is a companion of the Moon goddess Chang’e.
The Yutu-2 has exceeded the three-month design operational life, and has become the longest-functioning lunar rover on the moon and demonstrates the increased capabilities of the Chinese space program.
China has major Space ambitions in 2020.
Beijing announced in early 2020 that it is going to send more than 60 spacecraft into orbit via over 40 launches this year. China completed 34 space launches in 2019, ranking it a top contender in the new Space Race.
“This year will continue to see intensive launches,”
Shang Zhi, director of the Space Department of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC),
A new Chinese version of GPS is being launched called the BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System. With two geostationary orbit BeiDou satellites in the first half of 2020, China will offer GPS services like the US currently does. With much of the worlds manufacturing, many new phones are being designed and built with BeiDou capability.
Additionally, China is working to become the third nation to bring samples back from the Moon. China is planning to launch the Chang’e-5 lunar probe, with the expectation of retrieving lunar samples and returning them back to Earth.
China is also attempting a Mars mission. China previously cooperated with Russia on a failed Mars mission. Yinghuo-1 was a Chinese Mars-exploration space mission to be sent to Mars. It was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, on 8 November 2011, piggybacking a ride with the Russian Fobos-Grunt sample return spacecraft, however the mission failed to leave Low Earth Orbit and crashed back to Earth. China has been very actively testing and preparing for the 2020 Mars mission with the hopes of avoiding another failure like the one on the Russian launched 2011 mission.
Three new types of government developed rockets are being debuted including the Long March-5B, Long March-7A and Long March-8.
As a new generation of carrier rocket, the Long March-5B has the largest capacity to low-Earth orbit for a Chinese Rocket to date with 22,000 kg+ of lift ability. China plans for the LM5B to launch the core capsule and experiment capsules of China’s new space station. Additionally, the Long March-5 rockets will be launched carrying a the newest generation of China manned spacecraft, a Mars probe and a Chang’e-5 probe into space.
These activities don’t even touch on the growing commercial industry in China where companies like Galactic Energy is planning on developing multi use rockets like SpaceX capable of vertical landing after takeoff.
About The Author
Bill D’Zio
Co-Founder at WestEastSpace.com
Bill founded WestEastSpace.com after returning to China in 2019 to be supportive of his wife’s career. Moving to China meant leaving the US rocket/launch industry behind, as the USA and China don’t see eye to eye on cooperation in space. Bill has an engineering degree and is an experienced leader of international cross-functional teams with experience in evaluating, optimizing and awarding sub-contracts for complex systems. Bill has worked with ASME Components, Instrumentation and Controls (I&C) for use in launch vehicles, satellites, aerospace nuclear, and industrial applications.
Bill provides consulting services for engineering, supply chain, and project management.
