The satellite ended its 16-month mission Sunday when it hit the lunar surface at 1.50 degrees South latitude and 52.36 degrees east longitude. Chang'e-1 began to reduce its speed at 3:36 p.m. Beijing Time (0736 GMT) under remote control by two observation and control stations in east China's Qingdao and northwest China's Kashi. This was the first phase of China's three-stage moon mission, which will lead to a landing and launch of a rover vehicle around 2012.
Chang'e-1 was launched into space on October 24, 2007 and sent the first full map of the moon's surface back to China one month later. A dozen performance tests were carried out while Chang'e-1 was in orbit to find out its orbit adjustment capability. The planned impact was designed to accumulate experience for landing of China's second lunar probe. In the third phase, another rover will land on the moon and bring back mineral samples for scientific research in 2017. China is the third nation, after the U.S. and Russia, to launch people into space after Yang Liwei was put into orbit aboard the spaceship Shenzhou-5 on October 15, 2003. Another three astronauts were sent into space in Shenzhou-7 and carried out the country's first space walk in September of last year.
(Source: China View Sci & Tech site — Image is an artist's rendition of the Chang'e-1 prior to Moon impact, courtesy of "scitech.people.com.cn)