China's lunar and deep space exploration: touching the moon and exploring the universe

Abstract

Abstract The Chinese lunar probe Chang'e-4 (CE-4) landed in the Von Kármán crater within the South Pole–Aitken (SPA) basin on the far-side of the Moon on 3 January 2019. Following this, the moon rover Yutu-2 separated from the CE-4 lander and started its travels and exploration on the far-side of the Moon. Before this landing, humans had remotely observed the far-side of the Moon with lunar satellites. However, it was the first time that a man-made spacecraft had landed there and actually left behind wheel prints belonging to humanity. Since China's Lunar Exploration Project (CLEP), or Chang'e Project, started in 2004, China has accomplished the first two steps of its three-step plan of ‘Orbiting, Landing and Returning’. CE-3 and CE-4 landed successfully on the near-side and far-side of the Moon, respectively. In the near future, CE-5 will land again on the near-side of the Moon and take lunar rock and soil samples back to Earth, thus completing the three-step plan of CLEP. In April 2019, National Science Review (NSR) interviewed three key figures of CLEP: CLEP Chief Engineer Weiren Wu (), the first CLEP Chief Scientist and CLEP senior consultant Ziyuan Ouyang (), and CLEP third phase Vice-Chief Engineer, CE-4 Ground Research and Application System Director Chunlai Li (). They talked about the scientific expectations and future plans of China's lunar and deep space exploration.