Eye of Modok

China’s first lunar probe has successfully performed a crucial breaking maneuver at perilune and entered lunar orbit this morning. According to Wang Yejun, chief engineer of the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC), the braking was performed in order to decelerate the probe, enabling its timely capture by lunar gravity to become a “real” circumlunar satellite.

This remarkable accomplishment is a real feat for the budding Chinese space program, and places them one step closer to achieving the ambitious goal of reaching the moon before the scheduled 2020 return by the US. A physical presence on the moon would likely guarantee China lands a decent chunk of lunar real estate when the real divvying up begins later this century. Whether as platform for delivering space solar power or to provide a lunar station for space-based asteroid mining operations, it’s clear that moon plays an important part in China’s present and future security considerations.

I wonder if NASA might not be getting a few more dollars thrown its way in the coming years…