Datasets:

lothanspace
/

change4-tcm-dataset

Chang'E-4 achieved humanity's first soft landing on the lunar far side on January 3, 2019, landing in the Von Kármán crater. The mission includes a lander and the Yutu-2 rover, which continues to operate and explore the lunar surface.

Key Facts:

Launch: December 8, 2018
Landing: January 3, 2019
Location: Von Kármán crater, lunar far side
Rover: Yutu-2 (玉兔二号)
Data Format: PDS4

Chang'E-4 Instruments

Instrument	Abbreviation	Description
Landing Camera	LCAM	Descent imaging during landing
Terrain Camera	TCAM	Surface imaging from lander
Panoramic Camera	PCAM	360° surface imaging from rover
Lunar Penetrating Radar	LPR	Subsurface structure detection
Visible and Near-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer	VNIS	Mineral composition analysis
Low Frequency Spectrometer	LFS	Radio astronomy observations

Data Portal

Primary access point for Chang'E-4 data:

Chang'E-4 Data Search: https://clpds.bao.ac.cn/ce5web/searchOrder-ce4En.do
Main Portal: https://moon.bao.ac.cn/web/enmanager/home
Contact: lpdc@nao.cas.cn

The data is hosted by China's Lunar and Planetary Data System (CLPDS), operated by the National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC).

Registration Process

Navigate to the portal: Go to https://clpds.bao.ac.cn
Create an account: Click on the registration/login link
Fill in the registration form: Provide required information
Download and submit registration form: Some datasets require an additional form
Check your spam folder: Confirmation emails from NAOC may be incorrectly encoded

Downloading Chang'E-4 Data

The download process works like online shopping:

Log in to your account
Go to Chang'E-4 search: https://clpds.bao.ac.cn/ce5web/searchOrder-ce4En.do
Select an instrument: PCAM, TCAM, LPR, VNIS, etc.
Choose data level: Typically Level 2A or higher for calibrated data
Set time range (optional): Filter by lunar day or date range
Add to cart: Select the data products you need
Process order: Submit to initiate download

Data Processing Levels

Level	Description	Availability
L0	Raw telemetry data	Not public
L1	Depacketized, time-tagged	Not public
L2A	Calibrated, geolocated	Public
L2B	Mosaics and derived products	Public
L2C	Higher-level products	Public

Note: Only calibrated L2+ data is publicly available. Raw L0/L1 telemetry remains proprietary.

PDS4 Data Format

Chang'E-4 data uses PDS4 format. Each data product consists of:

XML label file (.xml): Metadata describing the observation
Data file: Image or measurement data (format varies by instrument)

Common image formats include .img or .fits files paired with their XML labels.

Data Releases

Chang'E-4 data is released periodically in batches organized by lunar day. Check the data release announcements for the latest available data:

Chang'E-4 Data Release Announcements

Usage Requirements

Non-commercial use: Data is for research and educational purposes
Citation required: Acknowledge the data source in publications
Submit results: Send publications to lpdc@nao.cas.cn

Suggested Citation

Ground Research and Application System of China's Lunar and Planetary
Exploration Program. Chang'E-4 [Instrument] Data. China National Space
Administration, [Year]. https://moon.bao.ac.cn

Troubleshooting

Service instability: The portal may be slow for overseas users. Retry if needed.
Language: Some pages are Chinese-only. Use browser translation.
JavaScript required: The data portal requires JavaScript enabled.

Other Chang'E Missions

For context, other missions in the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program:

Mission	Year	Description
Chang'E-1	2007	Lunar orbiter
Chang'E-2	2010	Lunar orbiter, higher resolution
Chang'E-3	2013	Near-side lander + Yutu rover
Chang'E-5	2020	Sample return (1,731g)
Chang'E-6	2024	Far-side sample return (1,935g)

Accessing Chang'E-4 Rover Data

Chang'E-4 Mission Overview