Beijing, Dec 14: China’s Chang’e 5 orbiter-returner has successfully carried out the first Moon-Earth transfer orbit correction, the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said in a statement.
“On December 14, at 11:13, two 25N engines of the block of orbital and return modules, having worked for 28 seconds, successfully completed the first correction in the Moon-Earth transfer orbit,” the statement says.
On Sunday, CNSA announced that the orbiter-returner of China’s Chang’e-5 probe had successfully entered the Moon-Earth transfer orbit, also known as the Hohmann Transfer, after completing two orbital maneuvers. The Hohmann Transfer is a fuel-efficient path for spacecraft.
On November 24, the Chang’e 5 lunar sample-return mission was successfully launched from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Center in Wenchang, in China’s Hainan island province, using the Chinese heavy-lift launch vehicle Chang Zheng 5 (Long March 5).
The Chang’e 5 spacecraft has successfully collected samples of lunar soil and docked with the orbital module, transferring the samples to the Earth-return capsule on December 6.
The mission is expected to conclude around December 16-17.
The Chang’e 5 lunar mission is China’s first-ever sample return mission. If fully successful, it will become the first lunar sample return mission to be completed since 1976, when the Soviet Union carried out the Luna 24 robotic probe mission to the Moon.
(AGENCIES)
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