China's first lunar probe, Chang'e-1, blasts off aboard a Long March 3A carrier rocket at 6:05 p.m. (10:05 GMT) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province.

Chang'e-1, named after a legendary Chinese goddess of the moon, is

expected to experience four accelerations and enter earth-moon transfer orbit on October 31, arriving in the moon's orbit

on November 5 for a yearlong scientific exploration.

The launch of the circumlunar satellite marked the start of China's ambitious three-phase moon mission. Scientists have planned a moon landing and release of a moon rover around 2012 in the

second phase. In the third phase, another rover will land on the moon and return to earth with lunar soil and stone samples for scientific research around 2017.

Inset: Staff at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center applaud the successful launch of Chang'e-1.