Due to the high orbit accuracy of the Chang 'e-5 mission and the orbit control precision of the probe, the orbiter has reduced many correction processes and saved a lot of propellant.Therefore, before re-separation, the development team evaluated the remaining amount of orbiter propellant, measurement and control conditions, and the status of equipment on the orbiter, and concluded that the conditions were ready to carry out the expansion mission.
Sheng Ruiqing, deputy director and designer of the Fifth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology Corp., said: "Before the re-entry, we should decide what kind of operation the orbiter should do after the re-entry."Because it still has a lot of propellant left, it can still be used for some deep space exploration, so we decided to fly it to L1 and do an orbiting exploration.
L1, located between the Earth and the sun at a distance of about 1.5 million kilometers, is the best place to put a solar observatory.From there, the spacecraft will never be obscured by the Earth or the moon, and the Chang 'e-5 orbiter will be able to continuously observe the sun or the sunward side of the Earth.