China’s Chang’e-5 Spacecraft Enters Lunar Orbit

BEIJING (CNSA PR) — At 20:58 on November 28, Beijing time, the Chang’e-5 probe flew to the moon for about 112 hours and successfully ignited a 3000 N engine at a distance of about 400 kilometers from the lunar surface. About 17 minutes later, the engine shut down normally. According to real-time telemetry data monitoring and judgment, the Chang’e-5 probe braked normally in the recent month and entered the orbit around the moon smoothly.

Near-moon braking is one of the key orbital controls during the flight of the lunar probe. When the high-speed probe approaches the moon, it will apply “brake” braking, in order to make its relative speed lower than the moon’s escape speed, and thus be captured by the moon’s gravity.

The Chang’e-5 probe underwent two orbit corrections during the Earth-Moon transfer process and achieved the expected goal. In the future, the Chang’e-5 probe will adjust the height and inclination of the orbit around the moon, the lander and ascender assembly will be separated from the orbiter and returner assembly, implement the lunar frontal soft landing, and carry out the lunar surface automatic sampling as planned. .