China launches first lunar probe
Posted: Wed, Oct 24, 2007, 8:57 AM ET (1257 GMT)
China successfully launched its first lunar orbiter mission on Wednesday. A Long March 3A rocket lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern China at 6:05 am EDT (1005 GMT, 6:05 pm Beijing time) and placed the Chang'e-1 spacecraft an elliptical Earth parking orbit shortly thereafter. Chang'e-1 is scheduled to remain in that parking orbit until October 31, when it will go into a translunar trajectory and enter lunar orbit on November 5. Chang'e-1 carries a number of cameras and other sensors to study the Moon's surface and composition. The mission, highly anticipated within China, is the first in a three-stage robotic exploration plan that also includes a lander with rover and a sample return mission. Chang'e-1 is the second spacecraft launched to the Moon in as many months, after Japan's launch of the Kaguya lunar orbiter in September.
China successfully launched its first lunar orbiter mission on Wednesday. A Long March 3A rocket lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern China at 6:05 am EDT (1005 GMT, 6:05 pm Beijing time) and placed the Chang'e-1 spacecraft an elliptical Earth parking orbit shortly thereafter. Chang'e-1 is scheduled to remain in that parking orbit until October 31, when it will go into a translunar trajectory and enter lunar orbit on November 5. Chang'e-1 carries a number of cameras and other sensors to study the Moon's surface and composition. The mission, highly anticipated within China, is the first in a three-stage robotic exploration plan that also includes a lander with rover and a sample return mission. Chang'e-1 is the second spacecraft launched to the Moon in as many months, after Japan's launch of the Kaguya lunar orbiter in September.| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Tuesday, February 4
Viasat Awarded Task Order For Space Force Satcom Services
Aviation Week — 7:01 am ET (1201 GMT) A Fidelity fund is now valuing its stake in SpaceX at more than $2.7 billion
Business Insider — 6:59 am ET (1159 GMT) Elon Musk’s glaring conflicts of interest deserve more attention
The Hill — 6:57 am ET (1157 GMT) Airbus Hires Goldman for European Space Tie-Up to Rival Musk
Bloomberg News — 6:55 am ET (1155 GMT) Microbes in space: how bacteria could help sustain long-distance space travel
Nature — 6:52 am ET (1152 GMT) |
