Abstract
Chang’E-5 (CE-5) is China’s first lunar sample return mission. This paper focuses on the trajectory determination of the CE-5 lander and ascender during the landing and ascending phases, and the positioning of the CE-5 lander on the Moon. Based on the kinematic statistical orbit determination method using B-spline and polynomial functions, the descent and ascent trajectories of the lander and ascender are determined by using ground-based radiometric ranging, Doppler and interferometry data. The results show that a B-spline function is suitable for a trajectory with complex maneuvers. For a smooth trajectory, B-spline and polynomial functions can reach almost the same solutions. The positioning of the CE-5 lander on the Moon is also investigated here. Using the kinematic statistical positioning method, the landing site of the lander is 43.0590°N, 51.9208°W with an elevation of −2480.26 m, which is less than 200 m different from the LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) image data.
Highlights
On 24 November 2020, China successfully launched the Chang’E-5 (CE-5) lunar probe by using the long March-5 heavy-lift carrier rocket
The kinematic statistical orbit determination method based on polynomial approximation is used to express the position of the probe at any time in a short arc with polynomial functions such as Equation (3)
After CE-5 was inserted into orbit around the Moon with an altitude of about 200 km, the lander and ascender modules were separated from the orbiter and returner modules
Summary
On 24 November 2020, China successfully launched the Chang’E-5 (CE-5) lunar probe by using the long March-5 heavy-lift carrier rocket. Lunar Exploration Program [1], and it successfully realized the first sampling return of extraterrestrial objects in China. Chang’E-2 orbiters, successfully landed on Sinus Iridum, the northwest of Mare Imbrium on the lunar near side. It was the first time that China accomplished a soft landing on an extraterrestrial body, and the lunar rover, Yutu, was firstly deployed to operate on the. A communication relay satellite was launched into a halo orbit near the Earth–Moon L2 point for communication between lander/rover and ground stations [4]. As a sample return mission, CE-5 consists of four modules: lander, ascender, orbiter and returner. The orbiter/returner modules are responsible for the Earth–Moon transfer of the lunar sample. The lander, installed with a drill and a scooping device, is responsible for the soft landing with the ascender on top.
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