China
is heading to the moon. The country's first-ever moon probe was launched early Thursday
morning by the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA). Chang'e-1 blasted
off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan, atop a Long March 3A
rocket.
Chang'e-1
represents the first step in the Chinese ambition to land robotic explorers on
the Moon before 2020.
The
European Space Agency tells ANN Chang'e-1 has four mission goals to accomplish.
The first is to make three-dimensional images of many lunar landforms and
outline maps of major lunar geological structures. This mapping will include
the first detailed images taken of some regions near the lunar poles.
Chang'e-1
is also designed to analyze the abundance of up to 14 chemical elements and
their distribution across the lunar surface. Thirdly it will measure the depth
of the lunar soil and lastly it will explore the space weather between the
Earth and the Moon.
The
spacecraft is large, weighing in at over 5,180 lbs -- and it will operate from
a low, circular lunar orbit, just 124 miles above the surface of the Moon. The
probe is designed to operate for one year.
ESA
is collaborating with the Chinese on this mission by providing spacecraft and
ground operations support services to CNSA. The two agencies will also share
data and encourage a visitors' program, so that researchers can learn from each
other.
During
ESA's SMART-1 mission, the Agency provided the Chinese with details of the
spacecraft's position and transmission frequencies, so that the Chinese could
test their tracking stations and ground operations by following it. This was part
of their preparation for Chang'e-1. Now it is time for Chang'e-1 itself to fly.
Hermann
Opgenoorth, Head of ESA's Solar System Missions Division says,
"Participation in Chang'e-1 gives European scientists and ESA experts a
welcome opportunity to maintain and pass on their expertise and to continue
their scientific work. Based on the experience gained with this first mission,
we intended to cooperate on the next missions in China's Chang'e line of lunar
explorers."
To
perform its science mission, Chang'e-1 carries a variety of instruments: a CCD
stereo camera, a laser altimeter, an imaging interferometer, a gamma-ray/X-ray
spectrometer, a microwave radiometer, a high-energy particle detector, and a
solar wind particle detector.
Named
after the Chinese goddess of the Moon, Chang'e-1 represents the first phase in
the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP). This program is expected to last
until around 2020 and the next phase will include a lander and associated
rover. Looking farther into the future, plans are being drawn up for a sample
return mission to bring lunar rocks to Earth for analysis.
"ESA's expertise in tracking
Chang'e-1 sets the stage for future cooperation with China. The Agency's
tracking station network, ESTRACK, is a resource that benefits not only the
Agency but also all space science through such international cooperation,"
said Erik Soerensen, Head of the System Requirements and Validation Section at
ESA's European Space Operations Center.
Chang'e-1 lunar probe
to conduct 1st orbit transfer on Oct. 25
BEIJING,
Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's first lunar probe will conduct its first orbit
transfer on Thursday afternoon, an engineer with the Beijing Aerospace Control
Center (BACC) said Wednesday.
Zhou
Jianliang, deputy chief engineer of the BACC, said the Chang'e-1 lunar probe,
launched on Wednesday, will be transferred to an orbit with a perigee of about
600 kilometers on Thursday afternoon.
The
satellite is circularizing earth in a 16-hour orbit at 205 kilometers perigee
and 50,930 kilometers apogee, statistics from BACC shows.
The
2,300-kilogram orbiter will experience four accelerations, which will shorten
its distance to the moon orbit. It is expected to enter earth-moon transfer
orbit on October 31 and arrive in the moon's orbit on November 5.
The circumlunar satellite blasted off on a Long March 3A carrier rocket at 6:05 p.m. Wednesday from the No. 3 launching tower in the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern Sichuan Province.
All
of China's lunar probe Chang'e-1 systems are A-OK, according to Chinese
officials.
The
probe's high and low energy solar particle detectors were functioning
routinely, according to China View.
The
probe is currently moving on a 24-hour orbit with an apogee of 43,500 miles
after it entered the orbit following its second orbital transfer Friday,
according to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC).
Chang'e-1
has traveled more than 310,685 miles so far. It has to travel a total of
987,980 miles before it reaches the moon orbit as planned, said Ji Gang, an
engineer of monitoring and controlling branch of the moon probe program.
The
VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometry) beaconing machine on board the
satellite started operation in the early hours on Saturday, and China's four
ground monitoring stations with the application of the VLBI, or "Very Long
Baseline Interferometry", technology are monitoring Chang'e-1, the BACC
said.
The
VLBI technology helps to reduce the time needed for orbit determination,
according to Ji.
Ji
said the probe will stay on the 24-hour orbit before it moves further from the
earth to a 48-hour orbit on October 29, which runs more than 161,556 miles.
The
satellite is expected to fly to the moon and it is planned to arrive in the
moon's orbit on November 5.
As
ANN reported, Chang'e-1 blasted off on a Long March 3A
carrier rocket at 6:05 p.m. Wednesday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center
in the southwestern province of Sichuan.
The
satellite will relay its first pictures of the moon in late November and will
then continue scientific explorations of natural resources of the moon for a
year.