The Chang’e-3 mission will land a robotic rover on the moon. The lander’s premier instrument is a wide-angle extreme ultraviolet camera that is intended to monitor the Earth’s plasmasphere, a halo of ionized gases surrounding the Earth. But the science payload also includes ground-penetrating radar (GPR) mounted on the undercarriage of the rover. It will record echoes in the very high frequency and ultrahigh frequency bands from as much as 100 meters deep in the lunar crust. GPR is being increasingly used here on Earth to geolocate underground infrastructure.
China has not announced the launch date, but liftoff could occur December 2, which would set up the most favorable approach to the Bay of Rainbows (Sinus Iridum), the intended landing location.
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