Braking maneuver puts satellite in lunar orbit

China's Queqiao 2 relay satellite entered a lunar orbit after successfully braking near the moon, the nation's space administration announced on Monday.

The satellite carried out a braking operation at 12:46 am about 440 kilometers above the lunar surface, and entered a lunar orbit 19 minutes later, the China National Space Administration said in a statement.

It will further adjust its altitude and inclination to enter an elliptical orbit that revolves around the moon about every 24 hours, and will conduct communication tests with the Chang'e 4 lander on the lunar surface, as well as the soon-to-be-launched Chang'e 6 probe, the administration said.