https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cxeejp0y2pjo
During the descent, an autonomous visual obstacle avoidance system was used to automatically detect obstacles, with a visible light camera selecting a comparatively safe landing area based on the brightness and darkness of the lunar surface, the CNSA was quoted as saying by state-run Xinhua news agency.
The lander hovered about 100m (328ft) above the safe landing area, and used a laser 3D scanner before a slow vertical descent.
That’s super neat. When the floodlights came on I figured it was just doing it for the clarity of the footage before a preset landing sequence started. Have any of the Mars probes had such sophisticated real-time landing systems?
I do think Mars probes also use real time telemetry when landing, but not sure how sophisticated it is.
I’m by no means an expert, but my understanding is Mars’ higher gravity than the Moon makes landing like this much harder because you need to bring a much larger lander and much more fuel, etc. And then the thin atmosphere makes normal parachutes not really viable. That’s why NASA has come up with some interesting ways of dropping payloads onto Mars like surrounding one of the rovers in giant balloons.
Here’s a link to the Perseverance’s parachute + sky crane + boosters landing
They’re totally different scenarios but I couldn’t think of any other successful modern lunar landers which weren’t also Chinese. Mars is just the one other thing I know we’re flinging lil guys at.
It’s amazing to see high def footage during the landing. Makes me want to spin up Kerbal Space Program haha.