Chang'e 3#Lunar-based ultraviolet telescope (LUT)

File:Chang'e-3 lunar landing site.jpg, a lava-filled crater {{convert|249|km|mi|abbr=on}} in diameter. The actual landing took place on Mare Imbrium.]]

File:Sinus Iridum, Chang'e 3 & Lunokhod 1 landing sites.png image of the landing site, which is close to the transition between light and dark maria]]

File:Chang'e 3 landing site.png close-up image taken on 25 December 2013. The lander (large arrow) and rover (small arrow) can be seen.]]

The Chinese Lunar Exploration Program is designed to be conducted in four [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7FiaHwv-BI Chang'e 4 press conference] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215210219/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7FiaHwv-BI |date=15 December 2020 }}. CNSA, broadcast on 14 January 2019. phases of incremental technological advancement: The first is simply reaching lunar orbit, a task completed by Chang'e 1 in 2007 and Chang'e 2 in 2010. The second is landing and roving on the Moon, as Chang'e 3 did in 2013 and Chang'e 4 did in 2019. The third is collecting lunar samples from the near-side and sending them to Earth, a task done by Chang'e 5 and Chang'e 6 missions. The fourth phase consists of development of a robotic research station near the Moon's south pole.[http://epizodsspace.airbase.ru/bibl/inostr-yazyki/Chinese_Journal_of_Space_Science/2018/5/Xu_et_al_China's_Planning_---_before_2030_Chin_J_Space_Sci_38_(2018).pdf China's Planning for Deep Space Exploration and Lunar Exploration before 2030] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303084605/http://epizodsspace.airbase.ru/bibl/inostr-yazyki/Chinese_Journal_of_Space_Science/2018/5/Xu_et_al_China%27s_Planning_---_before_2030_Chin_J_Space_Sci_38_%282018%29.pdf |date=3 March 2021 }}. (PDF) XU Lin, ZOU Yongliao, JIA Yingzhuo. Space Sci., 2018, 38(5): 591-592. {{doi|10.11728/cjss2018.05.591}}[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018cosp...42E3886Z A Tentative Plan of China to Establish a Lunar Research Station in the Next Ten Years] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215210219/https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018cosp...42E3886Z/abstract |date=15 December 2020 }}. Zou, Yongliao; Xu, Lin; Jia, Yingzhuo. 42nd COSPAR Scientific Assembly. Held 14–22 July 2018, in Pasadena, California, USA, Abstract id. B3.1-34-18. The program aims to facilitate a crewed lunar landing in the 2030s and possibly build an outpost near the south pole.[https://qz.com/1262581/china-lays-out-its-ambitions-to-colonize-the-moon-and-build-a-lunar-palace/ China lays out its ambitions to colonize the moon and build a "lunar palace"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181129225204/https://qz.com/1262581/china-lays-out-its-ambitions-to-colonize-the-moon-and-build-a-lunar-palace/ |date=29 November 2018 }}. Echo Huang, Quartz. 26 April 2018.

In January 2004, China's lunar orbiter project was formally established.{{cite news | title = Backgrounder: Timeline of China's lunar program | date = 26 November 2013 | publisher = CCTV – English | url = http://english.cntv.cn/20131126/103212.shtml | work = Xinhua | access-date = 9 December 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131213041953/http://english.cntv.cn/20131126/103212.shtml | archive-date = 13 December 2013 | url-status = dead }} The first Chinese lunar orbiter, Chang'e 1, was launched from Xichang Satellite Launch Center on 24 October 2007{{cite web|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-10/24/content_6937622.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071025235924/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-10/24/content_6937622.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 October 2007 | title=China's 1st Moon orbiter enters Earth orbit | publisher=Xinhua News Agency | date=24 October 2007 | access-date=24 October 2007}} and entered lunar orbit on 5 November.{{cite web |url=http://planetary.org/explore/topics/chang_e_1/ |title=Missions to the Moon | The Planetary Society |publisher=Planetary.org |access-date=2 December 2013 |archive-date=21 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421020137/http://www.planetary.org/explore/topics/chang_e_1/ |url-status=dead }}

The spacecraft operated until 1 March 2009, when it was intentionally crashed into the surface of the Moon.{{cite web|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-03/01/content_10923205.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302170937/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-03/01/content_10923205.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 March 2009 | title=China's lunar probe Chang'e-1 impacts Moon | last=Guodong | first=Du | date=1 March 2009 | publisher=Xinhua | access-date=1 March 2009}} Data gathered by Chang'e 1 were used to create an accurate and high-resolution 3D map of the entire lunar surface, assisting site selection for the Chang'e 3 lander.{{cite web|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/LD16Ad01.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100418193148/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/LD16Ad01.html |url-status=unfit |archive-date=18 April 2010 |title=Asia Times Online :: China News, China Business News, Taiwan and Hong Kong News and Business |publisher=Atimes.com |date=16 April 2010 |access-date=2 December 2013}}{{cite web | url=http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/s/2008-11-12/1559529860.html | title=China publishes first map of whole lunar surface | date=12 November 2008 | access-date=12 November 2008 | archive-date=16 November 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116084928/http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/s/2008-11-12/1559529860.html | url-status=live }}

Chang'e 1's successor, Chang'e 2, was approved in October 2008 and was launched on 1 October 2010 to conduct research from a 100-km-high lunar orbit, in preparation for Chang'e 3's 2013 soft landing.{{cite news | author=Stephen Clark | title=China's second Moon probe dispatched from Earth | url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1010/01change2launch/ | work=Spaceflight Now | date=1 October 2010 | access-date=1 October 2010 | archive-date=18 July 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718234436/https://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1010/01change2launch/ | url-status=live }} Chang'e 2, though similar in design to Chang'e 1, was equipped with improved instruments and provided higher-resolution imagery of the lunar surface to assist in the planning of the Chang'e 3 mission. In 2012, Chang'e 2 was dispatched on an extended mission to the asteroid 4179 Toutatis.{{cite web|url=http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2012/06150926-change2-update.html|title=Update on yesterday's post about Chang'E 2 going to Toutatis|publisher=Planetary Society|date=15 June 2012|access-date=16 June 2012|last=Lakdawalla|first=Emily|author-link=Emily Lakdawalla|archive-date=8 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180108131345/http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2012/06150926-change2-update.html|url-status=live}}

The official mission objective is to achieve China's first soft-landing and roving exploration on the Moon, as well as to demonstrate and develop key technologies for future missions.{{cite journal | title = Technological advancements and promotion roles of Chang'e-3 lunar probe mission | journal = Science China | date = November 2013 | author = SUN ZeZhou |author2=JIA Yang|author3=ZHANG He | volume = 56 | issue = 11 | pages = 2702–2708 | doi = 10.1007/s11431-013-5377-0| bibcode = 2013ScChE..56.2702S | s2cid = 111801601 }}{{cite news | first = Ian | last = O'Neil | title = China's Rover Rolls! Yutu Begins Moon Mission | date = 14 December 2013 | publisher = CCTV | url = http://news.discovery.com/space/chinas-rover-rolls-yutu-begins-moon-mission-131214.htm | work = Discovery News | access-date = 15 December 2013 | archive-date = 3 March 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303185633/http://news.discovery.com/space/chinas-rover-rolls-yutu-begins-moon-mission-131214.htm | url-status = dead }}{{cite news | first = David | last = Shukman | title = Why China is fixated on the Moon | date = 29 November 2013 | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/25141597 | work = BBC News | access-date = 15 December 2013 | archive-date = 14 December 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131214150756/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/25141597 | url-status = live }} The scientific objectives of Chang'e 3 include lunar surface topography and geology survey, lunar surface material composition and resource survey, Sun-Earth-Moon

space environment detection, and lunar-based astronomical observation. Chang'e 3 will attempt to perform the first direct measurement of the structure and depth of the lunar soil down to a depth of {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=on}}, and investigate the lunar crust structure down to several hundred meters deep.{{Cite news |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2012-06/14/c_112217044.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617020908/http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2012-06/14/c_112217044.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 June 2012 |title=欧阳自远：嫦娥三号明年发射将实现着陆器与月球车联合探测 |publisher=Xinhua|date=14 June 2012|access-date=23 July 2013}}

The Chinese Lunar Exploration Program has been divided into three main operational phases, which are:

• Orbiting (Chang'e 1 and Chang'e 2)
• Landing (Chang'e 3 and Chang'e 4)
• Sample return (Chang'e 5 and Chang'e 6)

Chang'e 3 was launched at 17:30 UTC on 1 December 2013 (01:30 local time on 2 December) atop a Long March 3B rocket flying from Launch Complex 2 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in the southwestern province of Sichuan.[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/04/rocket-debris-hits-chinese-village Rocket debris hits Chinese village] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025190202/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/04/rocket-debris-hits-chinese-village |date=25 October 2016 }} The Guardian, 4 December 2013.

Homes downrange of the Launch Centre were damaged during liftoff when spent hardware wreckage from the rocket, including one piece the size of a desk, fell on a village in Suining County in neighbouring Hunan province. The county authorities had moved 160,000 people to safety before the liftoff, while more than 20,000 people near the launch site in Sichuan had been moved to a primary school auditorium. The expected wreckage zone for Long March rockets is {{convert|50|to|70|km}} long and {{convert|30|km|abbr=on}} wide.

Chang'e 3 entered a {{convert|100|km|mi|abbr=on}}-high circular lunar orbit on 6 December 2013, 9:53 UTC. The orbit was obtained after 361 seconds (6 minutes) of variable thrust engine braking from its single main engine.{{cite web|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-12/06/c_132947629.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207030850/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-12/06/c_132947629.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 December 2013 |title=Chang'e-3 enters lunar orbit |publisher=Xinhuanet |date=6 December 2013 |access-date=6 December 2013}} Later, the spacecraft adopted a {{convert|15|km|mi|abbr=on}} × {{convert|100|km|mi|abbr=on}} elliptic orbit. The landing took place one week later, on 14 December. At periapsis, its variable thrusters were again fired in order to reduce its velocity, descending to {{convert|100|m|ft|abbr=on}} above the Moon's surface. It hovered at this altitude, moving horizontally under its own guidance to avoid obstacles, before slowly descending to {{convert|4|m|ft|abbr=on}} above the ground, at which point its engine was shut down for a free-fall onto the lunar surface. The landing sequence took about 12 minutes to complete.

Topographic data from the Chang'e 1 and 2 orbiters were used to select a landing site for Chang'e 3. The planned landing site was Sinus Iridum,{{cite web | url = http://www.zarya.info/Diaries/China/ChangE/ChangE3Diary.php#end | title = Chang'e 3 Diary | access-date = 9 December 2013 | date = 6 December 2013 | work = Zarya.info | archive-date = 29 November 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141129020252/http://www.zarya.info/Diaries/China/ChangE/ChangE3Diary.php#end | url-status = dead }} but the lander actually descended on Mare Imbrium, about 40 km (24.9 mi) south of the 6 km (3.7 mi) diameter crater Laplace F,{{cite web | url = http://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/images/3-moon/20131214_change_landing_location.jpg | title = Chang'e 3 landing coordinates | access-date = 15 December 2013 | date = 14 December 2013 | work = China News (CN) | archive-date = 2 February 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210202164826/http://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/images/3-moon/20131214_change_landing_location.jpg | url-status = live }}{{cite news | first1 = Emily | last1 = Lakdawalla | author-link1 = Emily Lakdawalla | first2 = Phil | last2 = Stooke | title = Chang'e 3 has successfully landed on the Moon! | date = December 2013 | url = http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2013/12140619-change-3-has-successfully-landed.html | work = The Planetary Society | access-date = 15 December 2013 | archive-date = 22 June 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200622004315/https://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2013/12140619-change-3-has-successfully-landed.html | url-status = live }} at 44.1214°N, 19.5116°W (2640 m elevation) (1.6 mi),{{cite web | title = NASA Images of Chang'e 3 Landing Site | date = 30 December 2013 | url = http://www.nasa.gov/content/nasa-images-of-change-3-landing-site/ | access-date = 1 January 2014 | archive-date = 2 January 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140102184050/http://www.nasa.gov/content/nasa-images-of-change-3-landing-site/ | url-status = live }} on 14 December 2013, 13:11 UTC.{{cite web|last=David|first=Leonard|title=China Lands On The Moon: Historic Robotic Lunar Landing Includes 1st Chinese Rover|url=http://www.space.com/23968-china-moon-rover-historic-lunar-landing.html|work=Space.com|access-date=17 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220210245/http://www.space.com/23968-china-moon-rover-historic-lunar-landing.html|archive-date=20 December 2013|url-status=dead}}

With a landing mass of {{convert|1200|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, it also carried and deployed the {{convert|140|kg|lb|abbr=on}} rover. It serves double-duty as a technology demonstrator to be further refined for the planned 2019 Chang'e 5 and 6 sample-return missions.{{cite news | first = László | last = Molnár | title = Chang'e-3 revealed – and its massive! | date = 24 May 2013 | url = http://www.pulispace.com/en/media/news/231-change-3-revealed-and-its-massive | work = Pull Space Technologies | access-date = 9 December 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170606034406/http://www.pulispace.com/en/media/news/231-change-3-revealed-and-its-massive | archive-date = 6 June 2017 | url-status = dead }}{{cite news | first = Danielle | last = Wiener-Bronner | title = China Shoots for the Moon with Its First Lunar Lander | date = 2 December 2013 | url = http://www.thewire.com/global/2013/12/china-space-launch/355650/ | work = The Wire | access-date = 9 December 2013 | archive-date = 5 December 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131205231808/http://www.thewire.com/global/2013/12/china-space-launch/355650/ | url-status = dead }}

The stationary lander is equipped with a radioisotope heater unit (RHU) in order to heat its subsystems and power its operations, along with its solar panels, during its planned one-year mission. It has a scientific payload of seven instruments and cameras. In addition to their lunar scientific roles, the cameras will also acquire images of the Earth and other celestial bodies. During the 14-day lunar nights, the lander and the rover go into 'sleep mode'.

The lander is equipped with a {{convert|50|mm|in|abbr=on}} Ritchey–Chrétien telescope that is being used to observe galaxies, active galactic nuclei, variable stars, binaries, novae, quasars and blazars in the near-UV band (245–340 nm), and is capable of detecting objects at a brightness as low as magnitude 13. The thin exosphere and slow rotation of the Moon allow extremely long, uninterrupted observations of a target. The LUT is the first long term lunar-based astronomical observatory, making continuous observations of important celestial bodies to study their light variation and better improve current models.{{cite web |url=http://www.spaceflight101.com/change-3.html |title=Chang'e 3 |publisher=SPACEFLIGHT101 |access-date=2 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203221401/http://www.spaceflight101.com/change-3.html |archive-date=3 December 2013 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |url=http://spaceref.com/moon/chinas-lunar-telescope-alive-and-well.html |title=China's Lunar Telescope: Alive and Well |work=CNSA |publisher=SpaceRef |date=12 October 2015 |access-date=13 October 2015 }}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite journal |title=18-Months Operation of Lunar-based Ultraviolet Telescope: A Highly Stable Photometric Performance |journal=Astrophysics and Space Science |date=6 October 2015 |last=Wang |first=J. |display-authors=et al |doi=10.1007/s10509-015-2521-2 |volume=360|page=10 |arxiv = 1510.01435 |bibcode = 2015Ap&SS.360...10W |s2cid=119221340 }}

The lander also carries an extreme ultraviolet (30.4 nm) camera,[http://www.zarya.info/Diaries/Launches/Launches.php?year=2013#070 2013 – Launches to Orbit and Beyond] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022000601/http://www.zarya.info/Diaries/Launches/Launches.php?year=2013#070 |date=22 October 2013 }}. Zarya. 1 December 2013. which will be used to observe the Earth's plasmasphere in order to examine its structure and dynamics and to investigate how it is affected by solar activity.

Three panoramic cameras are installed on the lander, facing different directions. The lander is equipped with a single descent camera that was tested on the Chang'e 2 spacecraft.

The Chang'e 3 lander also carries an extensible soil probe.{{cite news | first = Steve | last = Nerlich | title = Chang'e 3: The Chinese Rover Mission | date = 4 May 2013 | url = http://www.americaspace.com/?p=35272 | work = AmericaSpace | access-date = 5 December 2013 | archive-date = 20 October 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161020063743/http://www.americaspace.com/?p=35272 | url-status = live }}

{{main|Yutu (rover)}}

File:Chang'e 3 - rocks near Ziwei crater.jpg crater. Image captured by Yutu rover]]

The development of the six-wheeled rover began in 2002 at the Shanghai Aerospace System Engineering Institute and was completed in May 2010.{{cite web| url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/tech/2008-04/24/xinsrc_332040524080250082374.jpg| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227143654/http://news.xinhuanet.com/tech/2008-04/24/xinsrc_332040524080250082374.jpg| url-status=dead| archive-date=27 February 2009| title =登月车构造原理| publisher= 新华网|date=24 April 2008| access-date=24 April 2008}}{{cite web| url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/tech/2008-04/24/xinsrc_332040524080210976603.jpg | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227143656/http://news.xinhuanet.com/tech/2008-04/24/xinsrc_332040524080210976603.jpg | url-status=dead | archive-date=27 February 2009 |title =中国首辆登月车工程样机|publisher= 新华网 |date=24 April 2008 |access-date=24 April 2008}} The rover has a total mass of approximately {{convert|140|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, with a payload capacity of approximately {{convert|20|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.{{Cite news | url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-05/24/content_11425131.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531002641/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-05/24/content_11425131.htm | url-status=dead | archive-date=31 May 2009 |title=China considering manned lunar landing in 2025–2030 |date=24 May 2009 |agency=Xinhua |access-date=1 October 2010}} The rover may transmit video in real time, and can perform simple analysis of soil samples. It can navigate inclines and has automatic sensors to prevent it from colliding with other objects.

Energy was provided by 2 solar panels, allowing the rover to operate through lunar days, as well as charging its batteries. At night the rover was powered down to a large extent, and kept from getting too cold by the use of several radioisotope heater units (RHUs) using plutonium-238.[http://www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/meetings/jan2014/presentations/08_1545_McNutt_Pu238_SBAG.pdf "Radioisotope Power Systems: Pu-238 and ASRG status and the way forward"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328214729/http://www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/meetings/jan2014/presentations/08_1545_McNutt_Pu238_SBAG.pdf |date=28 March 2014 }} by Ralph L. McNutt, Jr., Space Department, Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723 USA. The RHUs provide only thermal energy and no electricity.

The rover was deployed from the lander, and made contact with the lunar surface on 14 December, 20:35 UTC.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S7E572zTlc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/0S7E572zTlc |archive-date=2021-12-15 |url-status=live|title=Live* Yutu Rover "Jade Rabbit" separates from lander on the Moon |work=YouTube |date=14 December 2013 |access-date=26 December 2013}}{{cbignore}} On 17 December it was announced that all of the scientific tools apart from the spectrometers had been activated, and that both the lander and rover were "functioning as hoped, despite the unexpectedly rigorous conditions of the lunar environment". However, from 16 to 20 December the rover did not move, having shut down its subsystems. Direct solar radiation had raised the temperature on the sunlit side of the rover to over 100 °C (212 °F), while the shaded side simultaneously fell below zero. Since then, the lander and rover finished taking pictures of each other and commenced their respective science missions.{{cite web|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-12/20/c_125893854.htm|title=China's Yutu "naps", awakens and explores|access-date=21 December 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224053039/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-12/20/c_125893854.htm|archive-date=24 December 2013}}

The rover was designed to explore an area of {{convert|3|sqkm}} during its 3-month mission, with a maximum travelling distance of {{convert|10|km|mi|abbr=on}}.

The rover demonstrated its ability to endure its first lunar night when it was commanded out of sleep mode on 11 January 2014.{{cite web|url=http://www.spaceflight101.com/change-3-mission-updates.html|title=Chang'e 3 – Change|website=www.spaceflight101.com|access-date=20 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129031804/http://www.spaceflight101.com/change-3-mission-updates.html|archive-date=29 November 2014|url-status=dead}} On 25 January 2014, China's state media announced the rover had undergone a "mechanical control abnormality" caused by the "complicated lunar surface environment".[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-25/an-china27s-moon-rover2c-jade-rabbit2c-has-27abnormality27/5218986 China's first moon rover has experienced a "mechanical control abnormality"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190909074146/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-25/an-china27s-moon-rover2c-jade-rabbit2c-has-27abnormality27/5218986 |date=9 September 2019 }} – Australian Broadcasting Corporation – Retrieved 25 January 2014.

The rover established contact with mission control on 13 February 2014, but it was still suffering from a "mechanical abnormality".{{cite news | first = Euan | last = McKirdy | title = Down but not out: Jade Rabbit comes back from the dead | date = 13 February 2014 | url = http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/12/world/asia/jade-rabbit-resurrection/index.html?hpt=wo_c2 | work = CNN | access-date = 13 February 2014 | archive-date = 22 October 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171022193915/http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/12/world/asia/jade-rabbit-resurrection/index.html?hpt=wo_c2 | url-status = live }} The rover was still intermittently transmitting as late as 6 September 2014{{cite news |last=Howell |first=Elizabeth |url=http://phys.org/news/2014-09-china-yutu-rover-alive-lunar.html |title=China's Yutu rover is still alive, reports say, as lunar panorama released |work=Universe Today |publisher=PhysOrg |date=9 September 2014 |access-date=2 October 2014 |archive-date=1 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141001215030/http://phys.org/news/2014-09-china-yutu-rover-alive-lunar.html |url-status=live }} It ceased to transmit data in March 2015.{{cite news |last=Wall |first=Mike |url=http://www.space.com/28810-moon-history-chinese-lunar-rover.html?adbid=10152690360766466&adbpl=fb&adbpr=17610706465 |title=The Moon's History Is Surprisingly Complex, Chinese Rover Finds |work=Space.com |date=12 March 2015 |access-date=13 March 2015 |archive-date=4 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804053347/https://www.space.com/28810-moon-history-chinese-lunar-rover.html?adbid=10152690360766466&adbpl=fb&adbpr=17610706465 |url-status=live }}

The rover carries a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) on its underside, allowing for the first direct measurement of the structure and depth of the lunar soil down to a depth of {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=on}}, and investigation of the lunar crust structure down to several hundred meters deep.

The rover carries an alpha particle X-ray spectrometer{{cite web|url=http://news.163.com/13/1202/02/9F2BAFI200014AED_all.html|title="嫦娥三号"发射成功 将于5天后到达月球|publisher=Netease|date=2 December 2013|at=paragraph "月兔"将巡天观地测月|access-date=8 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213021728/http://news.163.com/13/1202/02/9F2BAFI200014AED_all.html|archive-date=13 December 2013|url-status=dead}} and an infrared spectrometer, intended to analyze the chemical element composition of lunar samples.

There are two panoramic cameras and two navigation cameras on the rover's mast, which stands ~{{convert|1.5|m|ft|abbr=on}} above the lunar surface, as well as two hazard avoidance cameras installed on the lower front portion of the rover. Each camera pair may be used to capture stereoscopic images,{{cite web| title = Chang'e 3 update with lots of pictures: Yutu begins lunar journey| url = http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2013/12231242-change3-update.html| last = Lakdawalla| first = Emily| author-link = Emily Lakdawalla| access-date = 24 December 2013| archive-date = 26 December 2013| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131226031855/http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2013/12231242-change3-update.html| url-status = live}} or for range imaging by triangulation.

The descent of the Chang'e 3 spacecraft was expected to increase the content of lunar dust in the tenuous lunar exosphere, as well as introduce gases from engine firings during landing. Although there is no formal cooperation between NASA and the China National Space Administration, the landing provided an opportunity for NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission to examine possible changes to the baseline readings of the Moon's exosphere, and will allow it to study how dust and spent propellant gases settle around the Moon after a landing.{{cite news | first = Emily | last = Lakdawalla | author-link = Emily Lakdawalla | title = Chang'e 3 and LADEE updates – and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, too, for good measure | date = 5 December 2013 | url = http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2013/12051704-change-3-and-ladee-updates.html | work = The Planetary Society | access-date = 6 December 2013 | archive-date = 7 December 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131207030852/http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2013/12051704-change-3-and-ladee-updates.html | url-status = live }}{{cite news |url=http://www.space.com/23675-china-moon-lander-trouble-nasa-ladee.html |title=China's 1st Moon Lander May Cause Trouble for NASA Lunar Dust Mission |work=Space.com |first=Leonard |last=David |date=21 November 2013 |access-date=25 November 2013 |archive-date=25 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131125234921/http://www.space.com/23675-china-moon-lander-trouble-nasa-ladee.html |url-status=live }} For example, one of the lander's combustion byproducts is water vapor, and LADEE may be able to observe how lunar water is deposited in cold traps near the poles. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) took a photograph of the landing site on 25 December 2013 in which the lander and the rover can be seen.{{cite news | title = NASA Images of Chang'e 3 Landing Site | date = 30 December 2013 | url = http://www.nasa.gov/content/nasa-images-of-change-3-landing-site/#.UsOr62R0MnY | access-date = 1 January 2014 | archive-date = 2 January 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140102184050/http://www.nasa.gov/content/nasa-images-of-change-3-landing-site/#.UsOr62R0MnY | url-status = live }} LRO also attempted to photograph the lander and rover on 22 January 2014, and on 18 February 2014.

The rover was still intermittently transmitting as late as 6 September 2014. As of March 2015, the rover remained immobile and its instruments continued degrading,{{cite web| url=http://www.icrosschina.com/news/2014/0528/363.shtml| title=Chinese lunar rover alive but weak| publisher=icrosschina.com| access-date=4 March 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150429060356/http://www.icrosschina.com/news/2014/0528/363.shtml| archive-date=29 April 2015| url-status=dead}}{{cite web| url=http://www.ecns.cn/2014/10-11/137859.shtml| title=China's ailing moon rover weakening: designer| date=October 2014| access-date=4 March 2015| archive-date=16 March 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316234141/http://www.ecns.cn/2014/10-11/137859.shtml| url-status=live}}{{cite news |url= http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Chinas_moon_rover_Yutu_functioning_but_stationary_999.html |title= China's moon rover Yutu functioning but stationary |date= 4 March 2015 |publisher= Space Daily |access-date= 4 March 2015 |archive-date= 18 March 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150318065046/http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Chinas_moon_rover_Yutu_functioning_but_stationary_999.html |url-status= live }} but was still able to communicate with Earth radio stations.{{cite web| url=http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?showtopic=7802&st=75&start=75| title=Chang'e 3 Third Lunar Day, Day 3. Is the rover alive?| publisher=unmannedspaceflight.com| access-date=4 March 2015| archive-date=14 July 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714144131/http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?showtopic=7802&st=75&start=75| url-status=live}}{{cite web| url=https://twitter.com/uhf_satcom/status/487335068931981312| title=Ello Yutu! It is back| work=Twitter| access-date=4 March 2015| archive-date=29 January 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150129161104/https://twitter.com/uhf_satcom/status/487335068931981312| url-status=live}}{{cite web | url=http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2014/0719/c1001-25303056.html | title=月球车"玉兔"号已被唤醒 部分设备状态退化 | publisher=politics.people.com.cn | access-date=4 March 2015 | archive-date=23 July 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140723022011/http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2014/0719/c1001-25303056.html | url-status=live }}{{cite web | url=http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?showtopic=7802&st=90&start=90 | title=Ninth day for Yutu just ended. | publisher=unmannedspaceflight.com | access-date=4 March 2015 | archive-date=6 October 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006110144/http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?showtopic=7802&st=90&start=90 | url-status=live }} While amateur observers were unable to detect transmissions from the lander, Chinese officials reported that the craft was still operating its UV Camera and Telescope as it entered its 14th lunar night on 14 January 2015.[http://www.spaceflight101.com/change-3-mission-updates.html China's Chang'e 3 Lander in good Shape as 14th Lunar Night sets in] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129031804/http://www.spaceflight101.com/change-3-mission-updates.html |date=29 November 2014 }} spaceflight101.com

The Yutu rover ceased to transmit data in March 2015. The lander and its Lunar-based Ultraviolet Telescope (LUT) are still operational as of 2024, eleven years after landing on the Moon.{{cite web|url=https://www.space.com/china-change-3-moon-lander-lasts-7-years|author=Andrew Jones|title=China's Chang'e 3 lunar lander still going strong after 7 years on the moon|website=Space.com|date=23 September 2020|access-date=16 November 2020|archive-date=25 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125043612/https://www.space.com/china-change-3-moon-lander-lasts-7-years|url-status=live}}{{cite news |title=The Chang'e-3 lunar lander is still waking up after nearly five years on the Moon |url=https://gbtimes.com/the-change-3-lunar-lander-is-still-waking-up-after-nearly-five-years-on-the-moon |access-date=25 June 2018 |agency=GB Times |date=25 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130123749/https://gbtimes.com/the-change-3-lunar-lander-is-still-waking-up-after-nearly-five-years-on-the-moon |archive-date=30 November 2018 |url-status=dead }} The power source for the lander, which consists of a radioisotope heater unit (RHU) and solar panels, could last for 30 years.{{cite web|url=https://gbtimes.com/chinas-telescope-moon-still-working-and-could-do-30-years|title=China's telescope on the Moon is still working, and could do for 30 years|publisher=GBTimes|author=Andrew Jones|access-date=15 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517063331/https://gbtimes.com/chinas-telescope-moon-still-working-and-could-do-30-years|archive-date=17 May 2019|url-status=dead}}

The landing site of China's first Moon lander Chang'e 3 has been named "Guang Han Gong（广寒宫） (Guang: widely, extensively; Han: cold, freezing；Gong: Palace) " or "Moon Palace" by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND). Three nearby impact craters were given the names Zi Wei, Tian Shi and Tai Wei, three constellations in traditional Chinese astrology.{{cite web|url=http://www.ecns.cn/2016/01-05/194755.shtml|title=Chang'e-3 landing site named 'Guang Han Gong'|website=www.ecns.cn|access-date=7 January 2016|archive-date=7 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107195040/http://www.ecns.cn/2016/01-05/194755.shtml|url-status=live}}

{{Portal|Spaceflight}}

• Chinese space program
• Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP)
• Chang'e 4
• Chang'e 5
• Chang'e 6
• Changesite-(Y)
• List of missions to the Moon
• List of artificial objects on the Moon

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20131215181712/http://english.cntv.cn/special/lunarmission/index.shtml Official coverage] on China Central Television (English)
• [http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/ Snapshots from Space] at The Planetary Society website
• [http://www.zarya.info/Diaries/China/ChangE/ChangE3Diary.php#end Chang'e 3 diary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129020252/http://www.zarya.info/Diaries/China/ChangE/ChangE3Diary.php#end |date=29 November 2014 }} from zarya.info
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20131203221401/http://www.spaceflight101.com/change-3.html Chang'e 3 – Mission Overview] at Spaceflight101
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20141129031804/http://www.spaceflight101.com/change-3-mission-updates.html Chang'e 3 may be still functioning] at Spaceflight101
• [http://720yun.com/t/70b2cjpvwur Panorama from Chang'e 3 terrain camera (TCAM)] {{in lang|zh-cn}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20210610022730/https://moon.bao.ac.cn/index_en.jsp Raw data from National Astronomical Observatories of China]

{{Lunar rovers}}

{{Lunar landers}}

{{Moon spacecraft}}

{{CLEP}}

{{Chinese spacecraft}}

{{Chinese space program}}

{{Solar System probes}}

{{2013 in space}}

{{Orbital launches in 2013}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chang'e 3}}

Category:2013 in China

Category:Space probes launched in 2013

Category:Chinese Lunar Exploration Program

Category:Chinese space probes

Category:Lunar rovers

Category:Missions to the Moon

Category:Spacecraft that orbited the Moon

Category:Soft landings on the Moon

Category:2013 on the Moon

Category:Spacecraft launched by Long March rockets