China's second lunar orbiter, Chang'e-2, entered the orbit of the second Lagrange Point (L2) on August 25 after a 77-day journey away from its previous orbital path around the Moon. According to China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND), the satellite is 1.5 million km away from the Earth.

At the point gravity from the Sun and the Earth balance the orbiter so that it remains stationary relative to the Earth, a prime location for the observation of the broader universe. China is the third country to successfully put a spacecraft into an L2 orbit, after the EU and the United States.

Chang'e-2 blasted off on October 1, 2010. Although it was only supposed to remain in space for six months, the SASTIND decided to assign the satellite additional tasks as it still had fuel reserves left after completing its initial tasks.

Chang'e-2 will carry out exploration activities from its L2 orbit over the course of the next 12 months.