China successfully launches second lunar probe

China successfully launches second lunar probe

2010-10-02 07:52:24 GMT+7 (ICT)

XICHANG, CHINA (BNO NEWS) – China on Friday announced that it successfully launched its second lunar probe, Chang'e-2, from the Xichang satellite launch site in southwest China's Sichuan Province, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

After separating from the carrier rocket, Chang'e-2 arrived at an Earth-Moon transfer orbit that has a perigee of 200 kilometers and an apogee of about 380,000 kilometers from Earth, according to the Xichang control center.

At about 6:59 p.m. local time, the satellite was launched on a Long March 3C carrier and unfolded its solar panels after successfully enter the orbit. The lunar satellite is expected to arrive at is lunar orbit in 112 hours (about five days).

Chang'e-2 is expected to send back high-resolution photographs of the Moon's Bay of Rainbows area which is the proposed landing ground for the unmanned lunar satellite.

It will use a new camera which spatial resolution, the distance between two points that an imaging system can distinguish, is of 10 meters.

The unmanned probe will test key technologies and collect data for future landings of Chang'e-3 and Chang'e-4. The designed life of the lunar satellite is of six months.

The Chang'e-2 mission's total expenditure is of 900 million Yuan, about $134.33 million. After completing its mission, scientists are analyzing three possible uses for the probe.

One is to remain sending data and photos from the Moon. The second is to fly to outer space to test China's capabilities to probe into deep space. The third is to become an earth orbiter by altering its orbit.

Chief designer Huang Jiangchuan said that the decision has not been made yet. The future of Chang'e-2 would be taken based on the performance of its designated mission as well as in the conditions of the satellite after completing its assignment.

Chang'e-2 was built as an alternative to Chang'e-1, which was launched in October 2007 and maintained a 16-month lunar orbit, more than the expected one-year duration of the probe. The series of Chang'e probes are named after a legendary Chinese moon goddess.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-10-02