Photo courtesy of China Lunar Review Program
The Chang’e 5 orbiter has successfully entered the First Lagrange (L1) Point of the Sun-Earth system, the Beijing Aerospace Control Center said, adding that it is the first spacecraft in China entered the L1 Point study orbit.
The center said Thursday that the orbiter is 936,700 kilometers from the ground and operates normally with a stable view and balanced power. It works in the orbit of the L1 Point of Sun-Earth system with an orbital time of about six months.
He Kun, an engineer in the center’s long-term management team, said the orbiter separated from the returnee on Dec. 17, 2020, and began the long-term control phase on Dec. 21.
The orbiter had spent about 88 days moving to the L1 Point of Sun-Earth system after making two orbit movements and two mid-course corrections under the team’s monitoring and control, he said.
The spacecraft’s long-range command team is also in charge of the day-to-day management of lawyer Chang’e-3, the commander and rover of the Chang’e-4 probe, the Queqiao relay satellite (Magpie Bridge), and Tianwen -1 Mars probe, which all works in good condition.
The L1 Point of Sun-Earth system is located on the line of connection between the sun and the earth, about 1.5 million kilometers from the earth. This is the dynamic balancing point between the earth and the sun.
The L1 Point of Sun-Earth system makes it easier for spacecraft to maintain a relatively stable running condition and save fuel, which is also the best setting for a solar observatory to continuously monitor its footprint. sun or on the sunny side of the earth.
