The operations of China's first lunar rover

Chang’E-3, the second phase of the China Lunar Exploration Project, consisting of a Lander and a rover, is planned to be launched in 2013. The rover is a highly autonomous six-wheeled terrain vehicle on the surface of the moon. The rover has 3 pair of “eyes”: navigation cameras and panoramic cameras, both mounted on a mast, hazard avoidance cameras mounted on the lower portion on the front of the rover. The cameras work in cooperation by providing a complementary view of the terrain and aid in rover navigation and also perform science investigations. Additionally, the rover has a robotic arm which has flexibility through three joints: shoulder, elbow and wrist. The robotic arm enables the scientific instrument at the end of the arm to extend, bend, and angle precisely against a rock or soil to analyze the elemental composition of them. Beijing Aerospace Control Centre (BACC), as the control centre of the China Lunar Exploration Project, faces big challenges to operate the China’s first lunar rover.