The Chang’e program is China‘s ambitious series of lunar exploration missions, named after the moon goddess from Chinese mythology. It showcases China’s growing expertise in space exploration, aiming to study the Moon, test new space technologies, and eventually prepare for future human missions to the lunar surface. The program began in 2007 and has seen a mix of orbiters, landers, and rovers.
The Chang’e Missions
The Chang’e program is part of China’s broader goals for space exploration, including sending humans to the Moon and establishing a lunar research station. Each mission builds on the last, helping China achieve increasingly complex tasks and solidify its place as a leader in space exploration.
Chang’e 1 (2007)
Chang’e 1 was China’s first lunar orbiter. It was designed to map the Moon’s surface and collect data about its environment. It successfully completed its mission and helped China join the group of nations capable of exploring the Moon from orbit.
Chang’e 1 was a groundbreaking mission for China, marking its first step in lunar exploration. The data it collected significantly improved our understanding of the Moon, including its topography and geological history.
Chang’e 2 (2010)
Following the success of Chang’e 1, the Chang’e 2 orbiter improved the mapping of the Moon’s surface with higher resolution. After finishing its lunar mission, it went further into deep space to study an asteroid, marking China’s first attempt at exploring beyond the Moon. Its extended mission to L2 and the Toutatis flyby also demonstrated China’s growing capabilities in space exploration beyond lunar orbit.
Chang’e 3 (2013)
Chang’e 3 was a major step forward because it included a lander and a rover. The lander touched down on the Moon, and the rover, named Yutu (“Jade Rabbit”), explored the surface. This was the first soft landing on the Moon in nearly four decades.
Chang’e 4 (2018)
The Chang’e 4 mission made history as the first spacecraft to land on the far side of the Moon, a region that had never been explored up close. The mission included a lander and another rover, also named Yutu-2, which continues to operate, sending back data about this mysterious part of the Moon.
Chang’e 5 (2020)
This was one of the most complex missions of the series. Chang’e 5 landed on the Moon, collected samples of lunar rocks and soil, and returned them to Earth. The successful completion of the Chang’e 5 mission marked China’s first lunar sample return and made it the third country, after the United States and the Soviet Union, to retrieve lunar samples.
Future Chang’e Missions
The program is far from over. Planned missions include:
- Chang’e 6: A follow-up sample return mission, this time targeting the Moon’s far side.
- Chang’e 7: A mission to explore the Moon’s south pole, which is believed to have water ice that could support future human settlements.
- Chang’e 8: Aimed at testing technologies for building a permanent research station on the Moon.
