BEIJING, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) — Chinese lunar probe Chang’e-3 will not perform a planned third trimming of its trajectory along the earth-moon transfer orbit, according to the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense.
Chang’e-3, which is carrying moon rover “Yutu” (Jade Rabbit), was successfully launched early Monday morning from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center.
“The probe’s carrier, an enhanced Long March-3B rocket, entered the orbit with comparatively high precision, and the first two orbital trimmings were highly exact, which resulted in the probe being capable of meeting the demands of near-moon deceleration and follow-up orbital control,” said a statement released Thursday by the administration.