China's Chang'e-6 enters lunar orbit after near-moon braking

China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe has successfully entered its circumlunar orbit, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said on Wednesday. At 10:12 a.m. Beijing Time on Wednesday, Chang’e-6 successfully performed a near-moon braking procedure before entering the circumlunar orbit, according to the CNSA.

Supported by Queqiao-2 relay satellite, Chang’e-6 will later adjust the altitude and inclination of the orbit around the moon, and choose a proper time to carry out the separation of the orbiter-returner combination and the lander-ascender combination. Then the lander-ascender combination will conduct a soft landing on the South Pole-Aitken Basin to carry out the sampling and return mission on the far side of the moon as planned.