Hot on the heels of Japan’s lunar probe launch, China launched its first lunar probe, Chang’e-1, at 6:05PM today. The satellite, named for the Chinese goddess of the Moon, was launched from the Number 3 launching tower in the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest Sichuan Province (Xinhua photo at right).
“The launch was very successful, and everything is proceeding just as planned,” Wu Ji, director of the Space Science and Applied Research Center, told China’s Xinhua news agency.
The 2,300-kg satellite is in orbit around Earth, and its solar panels have successfully opened. Chang’e is expected to transition to its Earth-Moon transfer orbit on 31 October for an arrival in lunar orbit on 5 November. Its orbital mission is expected to last about a year.
China flew its first manned spaceflight in 2003, becoming the third member of that club (following the USSR/Russia and the USA). The China National Space Administration has announced its plans to send people to the Moon by 2020.
The Xinhua photo below is of residents living near the Launch Center, evacuating before the launch.