Chang’e-3 probe enters lunar orbit after braking
Print Edition
The Chang’e-3 probe entered a circular lunar orbit at 5:53pm yesterday after about 112 hours on an Earth-moon transfer orbit, the Beijing Aerospace Control Center said.
The probe entered the lunar orbit after 361 seconds of precise braking by the variable thrust engine, following orders by the center’s engineers.
The center later verified Chang’e-3 had entered a lunar circular orbit, 100 kilometers above the moon’s surface.
The braking was important otherwise Chang’e-3 would have escaped the moon’s orbit or crashed into it, the center said.
The probe was launched on Monday from southwest China’s Xichang Satellite Center. It should soft-land on the moon in the middle of this month.
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