Chinese scientists successfully activated the first probing equipment on the Chang'e-1 lunar orbiter last night to start exploring the space environment between Earth and moon.

The high-energy solar particle detector, which was positioned on board the satellite with seven other probing facilities, will collect data on the area of space between 40,000 kilometers and 400,000 kilometers from Earth to moon, said Li Chunlai, chief designer of the ground application system of the lunar probe.

The information it gathers will help scientists learn about the environment and ensure the safety of future spacecraft, Li said, adding that a payload data processing system has also been activated but other equipment remains "dormant" to save energy.

Emergency measures are also in place to handle any hitch in the payload equipment including placing spare parts and circuits in key sections, Li said.

The 2,300-kilogram satellite completed its first orbital transfer around 5:57pm yesterday, a step further in its 380,000-kilometer journey to the moon.

The circumlunar satellite will experience another three accelerations, which will further shorten its distance to the moon orbit, Zhou said.

The probe will complete its second orbital transfer today in which it will enter a 24-hour trajectory and orbit the Earth along the new trajectory for three days.

Chang'e-1 needs to conduct 10 orbit maneuvers during its flight and is expected to enter Earth-moon transfer orbit on October 31 and arrive in the moon's orbit on November 5. It will relay the first pictures of the moon in late November and will then continue scientific explorations of the moon for a year.

Chang'e-1, named after a mythical Chinese goddess who, according to legend, flew to the moon, blasted off on a Long March 3A carrier rocket at 6:05pm on Wednesday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan.

It carried eight probing facilities, including a stereo camera and interferometer, an imager and gamma/x-ray spectrometer, a laser altimeter, a microwave detector, a high-energy solar particle detector and a low-energy ion detector.

Its major scientific objectives include a three-dimensional survey of the moon's surface, analysis of distribution and amounts of elements on the lunar surface, an investigation of the characteristics of lunar mantle rock and the powdery soil layer on the surface and an exploration of the environment between the Earth and the moon.