Chang'e 1, the probe, completed its first braking and entered the moon's orbit at around 11:37am yesterday, which made it a real circumlunar satellite.

The project will exert deep influence on the nation and its people's life, said Pei Zhaoyu, spokesman with the China National Space Administration (CNSA), at a press conference in Beijing.

"We all see that there has been an increasing fervor for astronomical and aerospace knowledge among the common people following the probe's blast-off, which is a good display of the project's influence and will spark the nation's explorative and innovative spirit," Pei said.

"The project is a comprehensive demonstration of China's economic, scientific and technological power," Pei said.

"It has greatly boosted the nation's pride, cohesion and confidence," Pei said.

Meanwhile, the project has brought about a leap forward in the country's aerospace technology, lifting its exploration activities from the space around the earth to that around the moon or even farther, he said.

"It has promoted the development of basic sciences, which will not only help increase our knowledge about the moon, but also be useful to our future study of the deeper space," he said.

The project has also driven the development of some high technologies, which will bring positive effects to the people's life if applied to the national economy, he added.