Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, March 18 (Reporters Hu Zhe, Chen Xiyuan) The reporter learned from the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center on the 18th that the Chang'e-5 orbiter, under the precise control of ground flight controllers, was successfully captured by Sun-di Lagrangian 1 Point capture, becoming my country’s first spacecraft to enter the Sun-Earth L1 point exploration orbit.
At present, the distance of the orbiter to the ground is 936,700 kilometers, the attitude of the whole device is stable, the energy is balanced, and the working conditions are normal. The orbit will be detected at the L1 point of the sun and the earth in the future, and the operation cycle is about 6 months.
The L1 point of the sun and the earth is located between the sun and the earth, about 1.5 million kilometers away from the earth.
This is the gravitational "dynamic equilibrium point" between the earth and the sun, which means that the gravitational force received from all parties at this position is basically the same.
When the spacecraft is in this position, it is easier to maintain a relatively stable operating state. While saving fuel, it will not be blocked by the earth or the moon, and it can also observe the sun or the sun facing the earth without interruption. It is the best place to place a solar observatory. Good location.
According to He Kun, an engineer from the long-term spacecraft management team of the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center, the Chang'e-5 orbiter was separated from the returner on December 17, 2020, and entered the long-term management stage from December 21 last year. The management team is responsible for a series of management tasks such as tracking measurement and control, orbit control.
During the 88-day transfer journey, the team conducted rigorous monitoring and precise operations, and successively implemented two orbital maneuvers and two midway corrections, which enabled the Chang'e-5 orbiter to successfully reach the L1 point of the sun and the earth, opening a new stage of detection missions. .
Wang Saijin, the deputy chief designer of the center, said that in the future, according to the implementation plan of the expansion test, the daily management and expansion test of the Chang'e-5 orbiter will be organized to further expand the engineering and scientific exploration results, and provide technical support for the subsequent deep space exploration missions, explore and Accumulate more experience.
It is reported that in addition to the Chang'e-5 orbiter, the long-term management team of the center is also responsible for the daily management of the Chang'e-3 lander, the Chang'e-4 "two weapons and one satellite" and the Tianwen-1 Mars rover. In good condition and operating normally.