Timeline of China's lunar program

Commission for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (COSTIND) begins planning the lunar mission, tackling major scientific and technological problems.

January - lunar orbiter project is formally established;

February - mission is named "Project Chang'-e" after a mythical Chinese goddess who flew to the moon.

Oct 24 - Chang'e-1 is successfully launched;

Nov 7 - Chang'e-1 enters lunar orbit;

Nov 26 - a clip of the voice of the probe and a Chinese song "Ode to the Motherland" are sent back from orbit. China's first picture of the lunar surface is published by Xinhua News Agency.

Jan 31 - COSTIND publishes the first picture of the lunar polar region taken by Chang'e-1;

October - the State Council, China's Cabinet, approves the Chang'e-2 mission;

Nov 12 - based on data collected by Chang'e-1, the first lunar hologram with a resolution of 7 meters is published.

March 1 - Chang'e-1 impacts the moon under control.

Oct 1 - Chang'e-2 is sent into space aboard a Long March-3C carrier rocket from southwest China's Xichang satellite launch center;

Oct 9 - Chang'e-2 enters 100-km circular lunar orbit;

Oct 26 - Chang'e-2 enters lower, elliptical orbit; prepares to photograph Sinus Iridium;

Oct 29 - Chang'e-2 photographs Sinus Iridium and returns to a higher orbit;

Nov 8 - pictures of Sinus Iridium published by the State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND).

April 1 - Chang'e-2 completes all six engineering objectives and four scientific missions. Its design lifetime expires;

April to the end of May - Chang'e-2 surveys south and north poles of the moon, and takes high-resolution pictures of the chosen landing site for Chang'e-3;

August 25 - For the first time in history, from lunar orbit a space craft enters the second Lagrange Point (L2) orbit, where gravity of the sun and Earth balance the orbital motion of the satellite.

Feb 6 - SASTIND publishes a lunar hologram with a resolution of 7 meters;

Dec 13 - Chang'e-2 arrives in deep space 7 million km away from Earth, and surveys the Tout asteroid.

Chang'e-2 is 60 million km away from Earth and has become China's first man-made asteroid in the solar system. It continues flying into deeper space.