China’s Chang’e-3 and Jade Rabbit duo land on the Moon

[n2doc]

China’s Chang’e-3 and the lunar rover Yutu (Jade Rabbit) have landed on the lunar surface at 1:11 pm UTC on Saturday. The duo were launched by a Long March 3B on December 1, which was followed by a nominal flight into lunar orbit and subsequently China’s first soft landing on the Moon.

The Chinese duo have enjoyed a trouble-free flight towards the Moon, with the spacecraft entering a reported 210.3 x 389109.2 km x 28.5 deg orbit during the week.

As many as three orbital corrections were understood to be required, with the first taking place at 07:50 UTC on December 2, followed by a second at 08:20 UTC on December 3.

While the Chinese didn’t report information about the second burn, it is understood a third was not required.

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This was the first lunar landing since Luna-24 launched on August 9, 1976. That mission touched down on the surface of the moon on August 18 of that year, ahead of a soil retrieving mission that returned to Earth six days later.

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http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/12/china-jade-rabbit-lunar-arrival/

[Warren DeMontague]

1. The more I've learned about this mission, the more impressed I am.

They pulled off a real accomplishment. Powered Descent, soft landing. With the rover.

Kudos to the Chinese Space Program. Well done.

[Locut0s]

2. Indeed. Like so much else with China this is just the start...

The rising dragon that is China is set to outpace the west in most areas. They have a ways to go but soon this may include space exploration.