12 December 2018
Chang'e 4 decelerated and entered the lunar orbit at 16:45 h Beijing Time (8:45 h UTC) on 12 December, completing a vital step on its way to make the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the Moon, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced. After flying about 110 hours from Earth, an engine on the probe was ignited when it was 129 km above the surface of the Moon, in line with instructions sent from a control center in Beijing at 16:39 h, and then the probe slowed and entered an elliptical lunar orbit with the perilune at about 100 km at 16:45 h Beijing Time, said CNSA.
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Chang’e-4 Successfully Enters Lunar Orbit - Next stop: the Lunar Farside