China’s Chang’e-6 Probe Successfully Enters Lunar Orbit
Reporters were informed by the National Space Administration that on May 8, Beijing time, the Chang’e-6 probe, under the precise control of the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center, successfully executed near-moon braking and entered a lunar orbit.
Near-moon braking is a critical orbital maneuver for the Chang’e-6 probe during its flight. By reducing its relative speed to below the moon’s escape velocity, the probe was able to be captured by the moon’s gravity and begin circling the lunar body.
With the assistance of the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, the Chang’e-6 probe will now adjust the height and inclination of its orbit around the moon. The next steps include separating the orbiter returner assembly from the lander-ascender assembly. The latter will then perform a soft landing in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon to conduct a planned sample return mission.
The Chang’e-6 probe was successfully launched on May 3 by the Long March 5 Yao-8 carrier rocket at the Wenchang Space Launch Site. This marked the beginning of the world‘s first mission to the far side of the moon for sample return. The entire mission, from launch to sample return, is expected to take around 53 days and involves various engineering innovations and high risks.
In order to successfully retrieve samples from the far side of the moon, the Chang’e-6 mission has been divided into 11 stages, including segments such as Earth-moon transfer, lunar braking, landing and descent, lunar working, ascending, and rendezvous and docking.
The successful entry of the Chang’e-6 probe into lunar orbit is a significant milestone in China’s space exploration efforts. Stay tuned for more updates on this groundbreaking mission.