China’s ambitious Chang’e-6 spacecraft program has entered lunar orbit. It has successfully entered lunar orbit after undergoing a critical braking process near the moon.
Chang’e-6 performed the braking burn procedure on Wednesday. This reduced the relative velocity of the spacecraft below the escape velocity of the Moon. This allowed us to study the moon’s gravity in an orbit.
The near-lunar braking maneuver is an important step in Chang’e-6’s long-distance journey to the moon. Chang’e-6 has been sent to the far side of the Moon. China has sent a spaceship to an area where no other country has gone before. Once the spacecraft achieves optimal orbital parameters, the mission moves to the next phase. First the orbiter separates from the spacecraft and the returner mixture separates from the lander.
Next, the lander-ascender unit will make a soft landing at the moon’s far south pole—the Aitken Pane. The lander is then planned to collect soil and rock samples from the far side of the moon and then return to Earth.
