Localization of the Chang’e-5 Lander Using Radio-Tracking and Image-Based Methods

Abstract

Chang’e-5, China’s first unmanned lunar sample-return mission, was successfully landed in Northern Oceanus Procellarum on 1 December 2020. Determining the lander location precisely and timely is critical for both engineering operations and subsequent scientific research. Localization of the lander was performed using radio-tracking and image-based methods. The lander location was determined to be (51.92°W, 43.06°N) by both methods. Other localization results were compared for cross-validation. The localization results greatly contributed to the planning of the ascender lifting off from the lander and subsequent maneuvers, and they will contribute to scientific analysis of the returned samples and in situ acquired data.