Chang'e 5 orbiter heads to new mission in space

Following the successful conclusion of the historic Chang'e 5 lunar sample mission, a major section of the robotic probe has been given a new task deep in space.

The Chang'e 5 orbiter is now flying toward Lagrange Point 1, which is located between the Earth and the sun, for extended scientific operations, said Pei Zhaoyu, deputy director of the China National Space Administration's Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center and spokesman for the Chang'e 5 mission.

Lagrange Point 1 is an ideal position for monitoring solar activities, he said. The point is a place where the gravity from the Earth and the sun balance, so that the probe may orbit the sun in synchronization with the Earth without spending much of its fuel.