Chinese spacecraft reaches lunar orbit

China's spacecraft's instrument module entered a 127-minute orbit around the Moon yesterday, paving the way for a 2017 exploration mission.

The instrument module began moving toward lunar orbit, after separating on November 1. Photo: China Space Website

To slow down enough to enter the target orbit, the module made three braking maneuvers from January 11, said the State Administration of Science, Technology and Defense of China (SASTIND).

"After the orbital flight stabilizes, the module will move along the current orbit at an altitude of 200 km above the satellite's surface, testing key technologies for the Chang'e-5 exploration mission," Xinhua quoted Zhao Wenbo, deputy director of SASTIND's lunar exploration and space project center, as saying.

According to previous reports, the camera system on the module could help identify potential landing sites for the Chang'e 5 mission. The probe is expected to be launched into orbit and return to Earth in 2017.

The orbiter was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province on October 24 last year. The instrument module separated on November 1, while the spacecraft returned to Earth after an eight-day mission.

This is a test in the final phase of China's three-phase lunar program. The data will be collected and tested before being applied to Chang'e 5.

According to observers, the existence of helium-3 on the Moon, a potential fuel source for new-generation nuclear weapons, is pushing China in the race to reach Earth's only natural satellite.

According to VnExpress