Science & Technology Review. 2007, 25(0705): 47-52.
The successful launch of Clementine lunar orbiter in 1994 and Lunar Prospector orbiter in 1998 has seen many new scientific findings. During the first few years of the 21 century, many countries annouced their new space policies and plans. The future space exploration will focus on the Moon and the Mars, and from the Moon to the Mars. Moreover, the Moon exploration, manned or unmanned, has been planed for the next 30 years. The implementation of Chinese lunar orbiter program, Chang'E-1, will fill in the blank page of deep space exploration in Chinese aerospace industry. Chinese lunar orbiter program was first proposed in1994 and formally started in 2004, after 10 years' delibration from various aspects, such as political, scientific and technological, and economical considerations. Chang'E-1 Lunar Orbiter will be launched by a Long March 3A launch vehicle in 2007. The orbiter is scheduled to be finally placed into a polar orbit of 200 km around the Moon, where it will carry out its tasks. The payloads include CCD Cameras and Imaging Spectrometer (31kg, 50 watts), Laser Altimeter (11 kg, 25 watts), Gamma and X-Ray Spectrometer (35 kg, 15 watts), Microwave Radiometer (30 kg, 42 watts), High Energy Particle Detector (2.4 kg, 3 watts), and Low Energy Ion Detectors (7 kg, 7 watts). Scientific objectives of Chang'E-1 Lunar Orbiter include providing stereo imaging of the lunar surface, detecting 14 elements and petrology and mineralogy of the lunar regolith, studying the thickness of lunar regolith, and detecting the earth-moon environment.
