China launches its second moon orbiter--Chang'e II

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Monday unveiled pictures of the moon's Sinus Iridum, or Bay of Rainbows, marking the success of China's Chang'e-2 lunar probe mission.

China's lunar probe to image landing area

The Chang'e II, China's second lunar probe, conducted an imaging tests of its CCD camera yesterday and it will track down and enter into an orbit around the moon of 100 kilometers by 15 kilometers on Tuesday by an enhanced thrust from the launch vehicle.

China's second lunar probe completes final braking, enters working orbit

China's second unmanned lunar probe, Chang'e-2, has successfully completed its third, also the final, braking Saturday, which allowed the satellite to enter a 100 km-high lunar orbit, according to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC).

Chinese Lunar Exploration Program

Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP) also known as Chang'e program is a program of robotic explorations

·and human missions to the Moon undertaken by China National Space Administration (CNSA). It uses Chang'e lunar orbiters, rovers and soil return spacecraft and adapted Long March 3A, Long March 5/E and Long March 7 launch vehicles. The first spacecraft of the program, Chang'e 1, an un-manned lunar orbiter was successfully launched at Xichang Satellite Launch Center on October 24, 2007. Chang'e 2 is an un-manned lunar probe scheduled for launch in October 2010. It is China's second lunar orbiter, part of the first phase of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program. The probe will conduct research at a 100-kilometer-high moon orbit. It is similar to Chang'e 1 with some improvements including a better camera with a resolution of 1 meter.