page_title: Chang'e 4
section_title: Lunar lander
hierarchical_section_title: Chang'e 4 / Science payloads / Lunar lander
caption_attribution_description: English: The Chang'e 4 rover is now visible to LROC! - Just beyond the tip of the right arrow is the rover and the lander is to the right of the tip of the left arrow. The image appears blocky because it is enlarged 4x to make it easier to see the two vehicles. North is to the upper right, LROC NAC M1303570617LR.&#91;1&#93; References ↑ NASA&#32;(8 February 2019).&#32;"Chang'e 4 Rover comes into view". EureAlert!. Retrieved on 9 February 2019.
context_page_description: Chang'e 4 is a robotic spacecraft mission, part of the second phase of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program. It achieved humanity's first soft landing on the far side of the Moon, on 3 January 2019.
  A communication relay satellite, Queqiao, was first launched to a halo orbit near the Earth–Moon L₂ point in May 2018. The robotic lander and Yutu-2 rover were launched on 7 December 2018 and entered lunar orbit on 12 December 2018, before landing on the Moon's far side. The mission is the follow-up to Chang'e 3, the first Chinese landing on the Moon.
  The spacecraft was originally built as a backup for Chang'e 3 and became available after Chang'e 3 landed successfully in 2013. The configuration of Chang'e 4 was adjusted to meet new scientific and performance objectives. Like its predecessors, the mission is named after Chang'e, the Chinese Moon goddess.
context_section_description: The lander and rover carry scientific payloads to study the geophysics of the landing zone, with a life science and modest chemical analysis capability. The lander is equipped with the following payloads:
  Landing Camera (LCAM), mounted on the bottom of the spacecraft, the camera began to produce a video stream at the height of 12 km (7.5 mi) above the lunar surface.
  Terrain Camera (TCAM), mounted on top of the lander and able to rotate 360°, is being used to image the lunar surface and the rover in high definition.
  Low Frequency Spectrometer (LFS) to research solar radio bursts at frequencies between 0.1–40 MHz and to study the lunar ionosphere.
  Lunar Lander Neutrons and Dosimetry (LND), a neutron dosimeter developed by Kiel University in Germany. It will gather radiation dosimetry for future human exploration of the Moon, and will contribute to solar wind studies.
  Lunar Micro Ecosystem, is a 3 kg (6.6 lb) sealed biosphere cylinder 18 cm (7.1 in) long and 16 cm (6.3 in) in diameter with seeds and insect eggs to test whether plants and insects could hatch and grow together in synergy. The experiment includes six types of organisms: cottonseed, potato, rapeseed, Arabidopsis thaliana (a flowering plant), as well as yeast and fruit fly eggs. Environmental systems keep the container hospitable and Earth-like, except for the low lunar gravity and radiation. If the fly eggs hatch, the larvae would produce carbon dioxide, while the germinated plants would release oxygen through photosynthesis. It was hoped that together, the plants and fruit flies could establish a simple synergy within the container. Yeast would play a role in regulating carbon dioxide and oxygen, as well as decomposing processed waste from the flies and the dead plants to create an additional food source for the insects. The biological experiment was designed by 28 Chinese universities. Research in such closed ecological systems informs astrobiology and the development of biological life support systems for long duration missions in space stations or space habitats for eventual space farming.
  Result: Within a few hours after landing on 3 January 2019, the biosphere's temperature was adjusted to 24°C and the seeds were watered. On 15 January 2019, it was reported that cottonseed, rapeseed and potato seeds had sprouted, but images of only cottonseed were released. However, on 16 January, it was reported that the experiment was terminated due to an external temperature drop to −52 °C (−62 °F) as the lunar night set in, and a failure to warm the biosphere close to 24°C. The experiment was terminated after nine days instead of the planned 100 days, but valuable information was obtained.
caption: Chang'e 4 – Lander (left arrow) and Rover (right arrow) on the Moon surface (NASA photo, 8 February 2019).[57]
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