The Chinese Chang’e 3 space probe, which includes the Yutu, which means Jade Rabbit, rover has successfully completed its landing on the Moon. The spacecraft was launched on December 1 and reached the lunar orbit in 5 days. Today it performed an automated maneuver that lasted about 12 minutes to descend to the Moon’s surface.

The last spacecraft to land on the Moon was Luna 24 from the then USSR in 1976. Since that time, technology has made huge leaps forward so the instruments of the Chang’e 3 lander and the Yutu rover are much more advanced and their goals more ambitious. There are scientific studies to be carried out but the investigation of the lunar resources suggest future missions and their exploitation.

An element very rare on Earth but present in larger amounts in the surface layer of the Moon is helium-3. This helium isotope is considered one of the most interesting as a possible energy source for the fusion reactors. Its use is still theoretical since controlled nuclear fusion is still at an experimental stage but the Chinese are already thinking about the future.

After its landing, the lander deployed its solar panels and began the testing procedures for its internal systems. The most delicate moment was the descent to the surface but it would be useless if its equipment didn’t work. Once this phase is completed, the process of separation of the Yutu rover will begin and at that point it will start its exploration of the area.

If everything works perfectly, lander and rover will have to deal with the extreme conditions that exist on the Moon. Both are equipped with solar panels that generate energy during the Moon’s day and at night they will go into “sleep mode”. The lander is equipped with a radioisotope generator of the type that generally is used to generate electricity but in this case will serve to generate sufficient heat to prevent damage to its equipment. The rover is instead built with equipment capable of withstanding the temperatures at night, which reach -180 degrees Celsius.

So far, the Chang’e 3 mission has been a success for China and continues this nation’s ambitious space program. In the future, the Chinese want to bring back samples of lunar rocks to Earth to perform further analyzes. The next missions will take a few years but China is proceeding without hesitation.

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