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China's first lunar probe, the Chang'e 1, was launched two days ago, October 24th in 2007. So I'm a little bit late with this news 
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"China launched its first lunar probe on Wednesday, the first step into its ambitious three-stage moon mission, marking a new milestone in the country's space exploration history. The circumlunar satellite Chang'e-1 blasted off on a Long March3A carrier rocket at 6:05 p.m. (10:05 GMT) from the No. 3 launch tower in the Xichang Satellite Launch Center of southwestern Sichuan Province.
Hundreds of domestic reporters and space experts from Japan, Germany, Italy and other countries invited by the Chinese space authorities gathered at the launch center to see the historic moment. At the moment of blast, 400tons of water pumped into the tower gutters beforehand was immediately heated into vapor.
"The launch was very successful, and everything is proceeding just as planned," said Wu Ji, director of the Space Science and Applied Research Center under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Chang'e-1 separated from carrier rocket at 6:29 p.m. and entered into a 16-hour orbit at 205 kilometers perigee and 50,930 kilometers apogee, according to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC).
It flied over the Chilean sky at around 6:50 p.m. and began to use solar energy for power supply after its solar panel was unfolded under the observation of the Chilean's Center for Space Studies (CEE). It is the first time for China to improve space mission monitoring coverage through international networks. Another three observation stations of the European Space Agency also provide support for this project.
The launch of the lunar probe "marks another milestone in China's aerospace program following the launch of man-made satellite and manned space missions", said Chinese vice-premier Zeng Peiyan at the Xichang launch center. Zeng conveyed Chinese President Hu Jintao's congratulations on the launch success and his regards to the scientists, technicians and army officers who have been working on the research, development and experiment of the lunar probe project.
Chang'e-1, named after a legendary Chinese goddess of moon, is expected to experience four accelerations and enter earth-moon transfer orbit on October 31 and arrive in the moon's orbit on November 5. Flying to the moon is the nation's long cherished dream, as Chang'e has been worshipped as the "moon lady" for thousands of years. Legend has it that she floated toward the sky and finally landed on the moon after taking a bottle of elixir, where she became a goddess accompanied by a jade rabbit.
Chang'e-1 is so far the most sophisticated satellite China has ever built. Scientists will maneuver it at least 10 times before it arrives in the moon's orbit. China's Shenzhou VI manned spacecraft in 2005 was maneuvered three times by scientists in the flight control center."
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"China launched its first lunar probe on Wednesday, the first step into its ambitious three-stage moon mission, marking a new milestone in the country's space exploration history. The circumlunar satellite Chang'e-1 blasted off on a Long March3A carrier rocket at 6:05 p.m. (10:05 GMT) from the No. 3 launch tower in the Xichang Satellite Launch Center of southwestern Sichuan Province.
Hundreds of domestic reporters and space experts from Japan, Germany, Italy and other countries invited by the Chinese space authorities gathered at the launch center to see the historic moment. At the moment of blast, 400tons of water pumped into the tower gutters beforehand was immediately heated into vapor.
"The launch was very successful, and everything is proceeding just as planned," said Wu Ji, director of the Space Science and Applied Research Center under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Chang'e-1 separated from carrier rocket at 6:29 p.m. and entered into a 16-hour orbit at 205 kilometers perigee and 50,930 kilometers apogee, according to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC).
It flied over the Chilean sky at around 6:50 p.m. and began to use solar energy for power supply after its solar panel was unfolded under the observation of the Chilean's Center for Space Studies (CEE). It is the first time for China to improve space mission monitoring coverage through international networks. Another three observation stations of the European Space Agency also provide support for this project.
The launch of the lunar probe "marks another milestone in China's aerospace program following the launch of man-made satellite and manned space missions", said Chinese vice-premier Zeng Peiyan at the Xichang launch center. Zeng conveyed Chinese President Hu Jintao's congratulations on the launch success and his regards to the scientists, technicians and army officers who have been working on the research, development and experiment of the lunar probe project.
Chang'e-1, named after a legendary Chinese goddess of moon, is expected to experience four accelerations and enter earth-moon transfer orbit on October 31 and arrive in the moon's orbit on November 5. Flying to the moon is the nation's long cherished dream, as Chang'e has been worshipped as the "moon lady" for thousands of years. Legend has it that she floated toward the sky and finally landed on the moon after taking a bottle of elixir, where she became a goddess accompanied by a jade rabbit.
Chang'e-1 is so far the most sophisticated satellite China has ever built. Scientists will maneuver it at least 10 times before it arrives in the moon's orbit. China's Shenzhou VI manned spacecraft in 2005 was maneuvered three times by scientists in the flight control center."
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