Camera Pointing System for Chang'e 3 and 4 Missions
Invited by the China Academy of Space Technology, PolyU has developed a Camera Pointing System for China’s Lunar Exploration Missions.
The System was installed in the upper part of the Chang’e 3 lander and was capable of capturing and monitoring the operation of the lunar rover "Yutu" and of taking images of the moon. By moving vertically by 120 degrees and rotating sideway by 350 degrees, it captured the panoramic image of the moon. This space tool can withstand the vast difference in temperature and function in one sixth of gravity on the moon.
The System was completed and deployed on the near-side of the Moon during the Chang’e 3 mission in 2013 and on the Moon’s far side with the Chang’e 4 mission in 2019, setting a new world record. It is the first Hong Kong-developed and manufactured instrument to be deployed for the Nation’s lunar exploration programme.
