Prelaunch Preview: Long March 3B/E | Chang’e 4 (lander and rover)

What’s all this mean?

The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) will be launching the Chang’e 4 mission which includes a Lunar Lander and Lunar Rover for the China National Space Administration (CNSA), on top of one of their 4 stage Long March 3B rockets and will be launching from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China.

This launch appears to have an instantaneous Launch window of 18:20 UTC on Friday December 7th. The four liquid strap on boosters, as well as the 1st, 2nd, and 4th stages are fueled by toxic hypergolic propellants N₂O₄ (nitrogen tetroxide) and UDMH (Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine) Nasty Stuff! Although these propellants are highly toxic, they are Storable, which makes them easy to handle and the rocket stages are preloaded weeks or months before launch. The 3rd stage of the Long March 3B rocket however is fueled by LH2 (Liquid Hydrogen) and LOX (Liquid Oxygen) and thus has to be fueled on the pad prior to launch.

The Chang’e 3 lander and rover that launched to the moon in December of 2013, 5 years ago. Credit: CNSA

This mission will attempt to determine the age and composition of an unexplored region of the Moon, as well as develop technologies required for the later stages of the program. Scientific goals include measuring lunar surface temperature over the duration of the mission, measuring the chemical compositions of lunar rocks and soils, studying cosmic rays, and more.

The next phase of the Chinese Lunar Exploration program will see the Chang’e 5 and Chang’e 6 missions include Sample return vehicles instead of rovers that will bring Lunar samples back to Earth for study. This current mission will help determine landing sites for those future missions and enable China to move forward with eventual human exploration of the moon.

If you want the best way to know when a launch is coming, I’d suggest downloading the Launch Alarm app to stay in the know!