▲Photo: China’s Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP)
Chang’e-5 probe successfully completed its first mid-course correction around 10 pm Tuesday, 17 hours into its journey to the Moon, according to a statement the China National Space Administration sent to the Global Times on Tuesday.
The spacecraft has travelled some 160,000 kilometers, and systems are working well.
The course correction required Chang’e-5’s 3000N engines to fire for about 2 seconds, putting the spacecraft on a precise heading to enter its planned orbit, CNSA said in the statement.
“Affected by various factors on its way to the Moon, the probe needs to make mid-course corrections to measure and adjust the minor deviations of its actual trajectory, to ensure that it stays on the right track,” CNSA noted.