Special report: China launches first lunar orbiter
BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- China's lunar probe
Chang'e-1 successfully carried out its first orbital correction Friday morning
in a bid to ensure that it travels on the pre-set orbit.
Instructions for the orbital correction was issued by
the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC) at 10:25 a.m. Friday, when two small
engines on Chang'e-1 were ignited to slightly modulate its trajectory.
Eight minutes later, the two engines stopped working and the orbital correction completed.
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Experts work at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC) in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 2, 2007. China moon exploration team successfully made the first orbital correction to the probe Friday morning to ensure that it travels on the projected orbit. (Xinhua Photo)
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"Data show we have reached our expectation through
the orbital correction," said Wang Yejun, the BACC's chief engineer.
Chang'e-1 now is moving the earth-moon transfer orbit
with the apogee of about 380,000 km and it is expected to reach the moon's orbit
at 11:25 a.m. Monday.
The orbital correction, which was planned to be
conducted on Thursday, was canceled as the probe was traveling on the expected
trajectory in an "unexpected precisely" way after it left the earth orbit late
Wednesday, said Wang.
"That's also the reason why we didn't employ the main
engine on the Chang'e-1 for the first orbital correction, because it is not
necessary and it also saves energy for the orbiter's future operation," he said.
A second orbital correction might be carried out
Sunday, said Wang.
Pang Zhihao, a researcher with the China Academy of
Space Technology, said orbital correction is necessary to prevent an orbiter
from veering off its projected course.
"An aircraft faces many disturbances, such as
gravitation from celestial bodies, when it travels in space, so we have to carry
out corrections to ensure it moves on the right track," said Pang.
"Just like driving a car, we must keep turning the
steering wheel to ensure the car running right on the roadway," said Pang.
Chang'e-1, named after a mythical Chinese goddess
who, according to legend, flew to the moon, blasted off on a Long March3A
carrier rocket at 6:05 p.m. of Oct. 24 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center
in the southwestern province of Sichuan.
It entered earth-moon transfer orbit on Wednesday and
is expected to arrive at the moon's orbit at 11:25 a.m. on Nov. 5.
Chang'e-1 will brake several times then to slow down
so that it can be captured by the lunar gravity and become a real circumlunar
satellite.
It would relay the first picture of the moon in late
November and would then continue scientific explorations of the moon for a year.
China's lunar orbiter project has cost 1.4 billion
yuan (187 million U.S. dollars) since research and development of the project
was approved at the beginning of 2004.
The launch of the orbiter marks the first step of
China's three-stage moon mission, which will lead to a moon landing and launch
of a moon rover around 2012. In the third phase, another rover will land on the
moon and return to earth with lunar soil and stone samples for scientific
research around 2017.
China carried out its maiden piloted space flight in
October 2003, making it only the third country in the world after the Soviet
Union and the United States to have sent men into space. In October 2005, China
completed its second manned space flight, with two astronauts on board.
BEIJING, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- China's lunar
probe Chang'e-1 completed its fourth orbital transfer on Wednesday afternoon, a
critical move to push it to fly to the moon "in a real sense."
The engine on the probe was started at 5:15
p.m.. Thirteen minutes later, the probe was successfully shifted to the
earth-moon transfer orbit with an apogee of about 380,000 km.
Full story
BEIJING, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- China's lunar
probe Chang'e-1 completed its third orbital transfer on Monday afternoon, one
more step forward in its 1,580,000-km journey to the moon.
Instructions for the orbital transfer was
issued by the Yuanwang-3 space tracking ship in south Pacific at around 5:56
pm. Full story
BEIJING, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- China's lunar
probe Chang'e-1 is expected to arrive at the apogee of more than 70,000
kilometers from the earth on early Saturday morning after having completed its
second orbital transfer on Friday, according to the moon probe team.
Chang'e-1, China's first moon orbiter, is now moving
on a 24-hour orbit and it is forecast to arrive at the apogee at around5:30 a.m.
on Saturday. Full story
BEIJING, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- China's first
lunar probe Chang'e-1 completed its first orbital transfer Thursday afternoon,
another key move in its 380,000-km journey to the moon.
The orbital transfer began at 5:55 p.m. and succeeded
after 130 seconds. The probe was transferred to an orbit with a perigee of about
600 km, up from the former 200-km perigee, according to the Beijing Aerospace
Control Center (BACC). Full story
BEIJING, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists
have successfully activated the first probing equipment on the Chang'e-1 lunar
orbiter on Thursday evening to start exploring the space environment between
earth and moon. Full story
