China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe has successfully achieved circumlunar orbit, announced the China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Wednesday.
The CNSA reported that at 10:12 a.m. (local time) on Wednesday, Chang'e-6 executed a crucial near-moon braking procedure, allowing it to enter the circumlunar orbit.
This procedure involved reducing its relative speed to below the lunar escape velocity, enabling it to be captured by the Moon's gravity and commence orbiting around it.
Assisted by the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, Chang'e-6 will subsequently fine-tune its orbit's altitude and inclination. It will then determine the optimal timing for separating the orbiter-returner combination from the lander-ascender combination.
Following this, the lander-ascender combination is slated to perform a soft landing on the South Pole-Aitken Basin, executing the planned sampling and return mission on the Moon's far side.
Chang'e-6 embarked on its journey to the Moon's far side aboard a Long March-5 rocket on May 3. Comprising an orbiter, a lander, an ascender, and a returner, the spacecraft aims to achieve the milestone of collecting and returning samples from the previously unexplored far side of the lunar surface.
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