Space
Chinese Space Program Reaches New Milestone with Lunar Orbiter Spacecraft
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: Jan 14, 2015 12:38 PM EST
The Chinese space program has hit a new milestone. A Chinese spacecraft service module has entered orbit around the moon.
The lunar orbiter was actually launched on Oct. 24. Then, the service module was separated from the orbiter's return capsule on Nov. 1. The capsule then returned to Earth after circling the moon during its eight-day mission.
The module from China's circumlunar test flight arrived in orbit this week, according to CS Monitor. The unmanned lunar orbiter entered a 127-minute orbit last Tuesday after three orbital transfers since Sunday, according to Xinhua News.
The new orbit brings the spacecraft within 125 miles of the lunar surface at its closest point, and out to 3,293 miles at its highest point, according to The Daily Mail. The craft itself is loaded with support systems for operating a spaceship, and will collect data to aid the planning of the 2017 Chang'e 5 mission, which is being designed to make a soft landing on the moon.
Currently, China wants to mine the moon for the rare helium isotope that some scientists claim could help meet global energy demand far in the future, according to The Daily Mail. This means that China is stepping up in terms of its space program, designing new missions to gather data and access the moon's surface.
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First Posted: Jan 14, 2015 12:38 PM EST
The Chinese space program has hit a new milestone. A Chinese spacecraft service module has entered orbit around the moon.
The lunar orbiter was actually launched on Oct. 24. Then, the service module was separated from the orbiter's return capsule on Nov. 1. The capsule then returned to Earth after circling the moon during its eight-day mission.
The module from China's circumlunar test flight arrived in orbit this week, according to CS Monitor. The unmanned lunar orbiter entered a 127-minute orbit last Tuesday after three orbital transfers since Sunday, according to Xinhua News.
The new orbit brings the spacecraft within 125 miles of the lunar surface at its closest point, and out to 3,293 miles at its highest point, according to The Daily Mail. The craft itself is loaded with support systems for operating a spaceship, and will collect data to aid the planning of the 2017 Chang'e 5 mission, which is being designed to make a soft landing on the moon.
Currently, China wants to mine the moon for the rare helium isotope that some scientists claim could help meet global energy demand far in the future, according to The Daily Mail. This means that China is stepping up in terms of its space program, designing new missions to gather data and access the moon's surface.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone