Published on October 26, 2007

'Godess of the Moon' Goes to... the Moon

After decades long break a new man made object took off to the Moon today. Chang’e-1 of the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre, atop a Long March 3A rocket.

Chang’e-1 (Godess of the Moon ) is the CNSA's first step towards landing a robotic explorer on the Moon before 2020.

Chang’e-1 will operate for a full year and will take three-dimensional images of the lunar landforms, will do chemical testes of up to 14 chemical elements, will measure the depth of the lunar soil and will explore the solar wind between the Earth and the Moon.

The spacecraft weighing 2.3 tons will operate from a circular lunar orbit, just 200 km above the surface of the Moon.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is collaborating with the CNSA by providing spacecraft and ground support services.

The next phase will include a lander and an associated rover. Farther plans aim for a return mission to bring back lunar rocks for analysis.