China's first lunar probe, Chang'e 1, successfully completed its first braking at perilune and enters the moon's orbit this morning.

Chang'e 1, following the instructions of the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC), started braking at 11:15am at a position around 300 km away from the moon and entered the moon's orbit at around 11:37am after completing the braking, according to the BACC.

The braking was performed just in time to decelerate the probe, enabling it to be captured by the lunar gravity and become a circumlunar satellite, said Wang Yejun, chief engineer of BACC.

"The first braking at perilune is a key moment in the long journey of Chang'e 1," Wang said.

The speed of Chang'e 1 reached about 2.3 km per second when it arrived at perilune. It would likely fly away from the moon if the braking was too early, or it would crash into the moon if the braking was too late, scientists said.

China's first lunar probe, Chang'e 1, named after a legendary Chinese goddess who flew to the moon, blasted off on a Long March 3A carrier rocket on Oct. 24 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern Sichuan Province.