China launched its first lunar probe on Wednesday, the first step
into its ambitious three-stage moon mission, marking a new
milestone in the country's space exploration history.
The circumlunar satellite Chang'e-1 blasted off on a Long March
3A carrier rocket at 6:05 p.m. from the No. 3 launching tower in
the Xichang Satellite Launch Center of southwestern Sichuan
Province.
Space experts from Japan, Germany and other countries joined
their Chinese colleagues at the launch site to watch the launching
process.
"The launch was very successful, and everything is proceeding
just as it's planned," said Wu Ji, director of the Space Science
and Applied Research Center under the Chinese Academy of Sciences
(CAS).
Chang'e-1 separated from carrier rocket at 6:29 p.m. and entered
into a 16-hour orbit at 205 kilometers perigee and 50,930
kilometers apogee, according to the Beijing Aerospace Control
Center (BACC).
Chang'e-1, named after a legendary Chinese goddess of moon, is
expected to enter earth-moon transfer orbit on October 31 and
arrive in the moon's orbit on November 5.
Flying to the moon is the nation's long cherished dream, as
Chang'e has been worshipped as the "moon lady" for thousands of
years. Legend has it that she floated toward the sky and finally
landed on the moon after taking a bottle of elixir, where she
became a goddess accompanied by a jade rabbit.
Chang'e-1 is so far the most sophisticated satellite China has
ever built. They will maneuver it at least 10 times before it
arrives in the moon's orbit. China's Shenzhou VI manned spacecraft
was maneuvered three times by scientists in the flight control
center.
As the satellite has to be maneuvered 10 times, the fuel that
Chang'e-1 carries accounts for nearly half of the satellite's total
weight, scientists said.
The satellite will relay the first picture of the moon in late
November and will then continue scientific explorations of the moon
for a year.
It will carry out a series of projects including acquiring 3-D
images and analyzing the distribution of elements on the moon's
surface.
Luan Enjie, chief commander of China's lunar orbiter project,
said that the moon mission in modern time will boost the
development of human kind's deep space explorations.
"China will, in the principle of pursuing a policy of peaceful
use of airspace, share the achievements of the lunar exploration
with the whole world," Luan said.
"China will not be involved in moon race with any other country
and in any form," he told Xinhua before the launch.
(China.org.cn Xinhua News Agency October 24, 2007)
