[meteorite-list] China Service Module Enters Orbit Around Moon

[Ron Baalke]

http://www.valuewalk.com/2015/01/chinas-unmanned-orbiter-enters-orbit-around-moon/

China's Unmanned Orbiter Enters Orbit Around Moon
January 13, 2015

A service module of China's unmanned spacecraft successfully entered a 
127-minute orbit around the moon on Tuesday. The service module conducted 
three braking maneuvers on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday to decelerate the 
spacecraft enough to enter the target orbit, the State Administration 
of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) told 
Xinhua.

Service capsule is in good condition

Zhao Wenbo, vice-director of SASTIND's moon probe said that, once the 
circular flight stabilizes, the service module will travel along the current 
orbit about 125 miles above the lunar surface to test key technologies 
for the next moon mission Chang'e-5. At its highest point, the module 
will be 3,293 miles above the lunar surface.
  
SASTIND said that the spacecraft has plenty of power remaining and is 
functioning in good condition. Technicians at the Beijing Aerospace Control 
Center have exercised stable and timely control, and system tests are 
progressing well. China launched the moon orbiter on Oct.24. The service 
module separated from the spacecraft's return capsule on Nov.1. The capsule 
returned to Earth on Nov.1 after spending eight sessions circling the 
moon.

Chang'e 5 set for moon landing in 2017

After releasing the capsule, the service module reached the Earth-Moon 
second Lagrange Point (L2) at the end of November. It completed all the 
preset scientific tasks and left the L2 point on January 4. The camera 
system onboard will assist in identifying future landing sites for the 
Chang'e 5 mission. Chang'e 5 million is scheduled for launch in 2017 to 
bring lunar samples back to Earth.

The service module is loaded with equipment to collect data useful for 
planning the Chang'e 5 mission in 2017. Chang'e 5 is a robotic sample 
return mission that will make a landing on the moon, take samples of lunar 
rocks and soil, and return to Earth. China received assistance from Russia 
for the program. China's moon exploration program has already sent a couple 
of orbiting probes. In 2013, it landed a probe on the moon, but it was 
not designed to return to Earth.