Chang'E 2. In Orbit and Returning Data

Chang'E 2. In Orbit and Returning Data

Chang'E 2 launched successfully on October 1 at 10:59:57 UTC. It launched on a direct transfer trajectory to the Moon, and successfully entered orbit on October 6 at 03:40. That orbit insertion maneuver put Chang'E 2 into an 12-hour orbit with a perilune of 100 kilometers and an apolune of 8,000 kilometers. Another maneuver on October 8 at 02:45 put Chang'E 2 into its 3.5-hour nominal science orbit 100 kilometers above the lunar surface. By October 5, Chang'E 2 was returning science data to Earth.