Emily Lakdawalla • Nov 06, 2007
Chang'e 1 in final science orbit
Having successfully entered lunar orbit on Monday, Chang'e 1 has quickly modified its trajectory into its science orbit, a 127-minute, polar orbit 200 kilometers above the surface of the Moon, according to a story from the Xinhua news agency. Chang'e 1 finished the journey into its final science orbit at 00:24 UTC on November 7. According to the news story, the launch and orbit insertion went well enough that they have fuel margin to prolong the spacecraft's life beyond its one-year nominal mission.