HELSINKI – A spacecraft involved in China’s 2020 lunar monster return mission has entered orbit around Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1 as part of an extended mission.
The Chang’e-5 orbit successfully entered a proposed orbit around Lagrange Point at 1:29 a.m. east of March 15, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), the maker of the spacecraft, set March 19.
The spacecraft will conduct a series of tests and solar observations under the control of the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC). Possible future destinations for extended activities are being considered.
The extended Chang’e-5 mission is China’s first outing to Sun-Earth L1 and the first Chinese spacecraft to move within the Earth’s orbit.
The track in December facilitates the delivery to the earth from a re-entered capsule containing collected lunar substances. It then uses propellant stored by a very accurate launch and an injection over the moon to undertake an extra journey.
Sun-Earth L1, about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, is one of a number of points near two large bodies that balance gravitational and centrifugal forces, enabling spacecraft to maintain a trajectory with minimal station holding. .
NASA’s DSCOVR deep space million observation mission is one of a number of spacecraft that have utilized Sun-Earth Lagrange point 1. The location of the Lagrange Point makes it suitable for long-term, unobstructed observations of the Earth and the Sun.
Chang’e-5 return, continuation
The Chang’e-5 orbit was instrumental in the successful collection of lunar material from Oceanus Procellarum late last year.
The mission launched at the end of November and sees a lander spacecraft land near Mons Rümker on 1 December. Collected samples are on the Chang’e-5 lane through a take-off vehicle to a robotic assembly and docking procedure for lunar orbits.
The orbit departed for the lunar orbit on December 12, along with a return capsule containing lunar samples. The two spacecraft separated about 5,000 kilometers from Earth on December 16.
The return capsule landed at 12:59 East December 16 with 1,731 kilograms of lunar substances. The orbit performed a maneuver to set it on a course for Sun-Earth L1.
Possible future scenarios for the Chang’e-5 orbit may include the visit of the Sun-Earth L4 or L5 points. These triangular libration points located 60 degrees in front of and behind the earth in its orbit are more stable than the other three points and may contain objects close to the earth. Images can be used to locate the region for speculated Earth steroid objects from Earth.
Potential visits to Venus or 469219 Kamo’oalewa (2016 HO3), the declared target for China’s 2024 Zhenghe near-Earth asteroid sampling, considered unlikely based on estimates of the remaining propellant and required speed changes.
Moon update on the other hand
China’s ongoing Chang’e 4-moon eastern mission is meanwhile expect to complete its 28th moon day Saturday, March 20th.
The landing in January 2019 was the first soft landing on the other side of the moon, with communication facilitated by a relay satellite stationed in an orbit around the Earth moon Lagrange point 2 beyond the moon.
The Chang’e-4 lander and Yutu-2 rover have been operating on the moon for more than 800 days. The solar spacecraft goes into a hibernation state for the intensely cold moon nights.
The Yutu-2 robber has ridden so far 652.62 meters across the Von Kármán crater and is about 429 meters away from the lander.
The mission yielded data on the local structure of the subsurface, potential detection of material coming from the lunar mantle, diverse rock types and secondary crater fragments encountered by the rover, initial radiation dose measurements from the lunar surface and local impact history.
China plans next a number Chang’e missions to the moon’s south pole. This in conjunction with planned Russian missions is seen as the starting point for a basic stage “International Moon Research Station”, Preliminary to be expanded to more permanent robot facilities and potential visits and long-term stays.
