By Xinhua
Beijing : China’s first lunar probe, Chang’e-1, completed its second braking early Tuesday, which further decelerated the satellite to get it closer to its final orbit.
“The second braking was done just as accurately as the first one and the satellite has entered the orbit just as designed,” said Zhu Mincai, head of the Beijing Aerospace Control Centre (BACC).
Chang’e-1, following the BACC instructions, started the second braking at 11.21 a.m. and entered a 3.5-hour orbit with a perilune of 213 km and an apolune of 1,700 km at around 11.35 a.m. after completing the braking.
“The second braking has laid a good foundation for the probe’s entry into its final working orbit tomorrow (Wednesday),” Zhu said, adding that scientists and engineers would continue their calculation and measurement in the afternoon to ensure a successful manoeuvre Wednesday.
He said that the probe would brake for the third time at around 8.09 a.m. Wednesday to enter its final orbit, marking the success of the probe’s whole flying journey to the moon.
The third braking will slow down the probe’s speed to 1.59 km per second to put it on a 127-minute polar circular orbit, where it is supposed to start “working” formally.
Before the second braking, Chang’e-1 was travelling along a 12-hour elliptical moon orbit, with a perilune of about 210 km and an apolune of about 8,600 km.
Chang’e-1 successfully completed its first braking and entered the moon’s orbit at around 11.37 a.m. Monday, which made it become a “real” circumlunar satellite.
The probe, named after a legendary Chinese goddess who flew to the moon, blasted off on a Long March 3A carrier rocket on Oct 24 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in China’s southwestern Sichuan province.