The Chinese Rover will explore dark side of the moon
China working on its own space program since 1956. The country has recently introduced a machine that will examine the back side of the moon.
China is among the three largest space powers that have their own manned space program. The country has various boosters and applications satellites of all types, the starts of interplanetary stations to the moon and is planning the development of Mars. Development of the lunar program was initiated in 1998, and several steps have already been implemented. For example, from 2013 to 2016 on a natural satellite of the Earth worked, the lunar Rover “WiTu”, which is part of the Chinese space mission “Chang’e-3”. His name he received in honor of the mythological moon rabbit, belonging to the Chinese goddess of the moon Chang’e.
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And now the country is preparing to send into space the new device — this time his task will be to study the back side of the moon, invisible from Earth. Rover, as yet unnamed, resembles a “WiTu”: this unit is rectangular in shape on six wheels with two sliding solar panels. Its length is 1.5 meters, width 1 meter and a height of 1.1 meters.
During its work “UTU” repeatedly fails due to the complex relief of the surface of the moon. In the updated version these problems are taken into account: in particular, the Rover will be “variable part and the variable configuration download”. Launch date to be announced, tentatively, the unit will carry out the lunar landing at the end of 2018. The Rover will be delivered to the area of the basin South pole — Aitken on the far side of the moon.
It is also reported that a contest for the best name for the new Rover, which will end on 5 September. The winner will receive a cash award and will be invited to the launch of a lunar Rover. Find out how their names get Russian missiles.