China
China´s Chang´e-1 lunar probe completes third orbital transfer
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Source: CCTV.com | 10-30-2007 08:11
Special Report: Chang'e I -Journey to the Moon |
The circumlunar satellite Chang'e-1 blasted off on a Long March3A carrier rocket at 6:05 p.m., Oct.24 from the No. 3 launching tower in the Xichang Satellite Launch Center of southwestern Sichuan Province. (Xinhua/Li Gang)
Chinese lunar probe Chang' e-1 carried out its third orbital transfer Monday. It's now on its way to an apogee of more than 120,000 kilometers outside the Earth.
The latest transfer pushed the satellite into a 48-hour orbit around the Earth. The satellite fired its booster at around 6 pm on Monday, moving into an orbit that will take it 120,000 kilometers from the Earth. The Chang-e One has now broken records in the history of China's space program.
Dong Guangliang,engineer from Beijing Space Command & Control CTR, said, "Chang-e One's orbit is now further from the Earth than any other Chinese craft. And its the furthest that has monitored by ground control."
On Wednesday, the probe will enter the Earth-Moon transfer orbit, a critical point that may determine whether the satellite can fly to the moon successfully or not.
Ultraviolet image sensors installed on the satellite will begin to collect information on the earth and the moon on Tuesday. The images it collects will be transmitted back to the earth when it enters the lunar orbit. According to the data received from various surveillance sources so far, all systems of the satellite are working normally.
Chang-e One is scheduled to arrive in the lunar orbit on November the 5th. The satellite will relay its first pictures of the moon in late November and will then continue scientific explorations for a year.
Editor:Zhang Ning
