Design of dual-channel nonuniform digital sampling receiver for lunar penetrating radar in Chang'E-3 rover

Abstract

Chang'E-3 was launched on December 2, 2013, and successfully landed on the moon on December 14, 2013. It carried a 140-kg lunar rover named Yutu, which is designed to explore an area of 3 km <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> . Chang'E-3 mission is to achieve China's first soft landing and roving on the moon [1]. Lunar penetrating radar (LPR) is a key payload of the Yutu lunar rover in the Chang'E-3 mission. The scientific target of LPR is to explore the thickness distribution of the lunar regolith and the geological structure of rock under the lunar surface. To fulfill the target, LPR is equipped with two ultrawideband antennas, channel 1 (CH1) and channel 2 (CH2). The CH1's center frequency is 60 MHz, and the CH2's center frequency is 500 MHz. LPR, which is mounted on the Yutu rover, can sound the structure of the lunar surface in a large range and over a long distance while the rover is moving.