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China’s Chang’e-5 lunar probe has successfully decelerated near the moon and entered lunar orbit, the Chinese Space Administration’s Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center (CNSA) said on Saturday.
The administration said in a statement that a 3,000 newton thrust motor on the spacecraft was activated at 8:58 p.m. Beijing time and was running for about 17 minutes when the probe reached a position about 400 kilometers above. from the moon.
A key orbital control measure for any lunar mission, the braking operation was conducted to reduce the speed of the spacecraft to ensure it can be captured by the moon’s gravitational field rather than accidentally flying at – beyond the celestial body.
After flying four days to the moon, the probe achieved “space braking” and entered an elliptical lunar orbit, CNSA said.
Read more: China successfully launches Chang’e-5 to collect moon samples
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