XICHANG, Sichuan, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's first lunar satellite, named Chang'e-1, was launched at 6:05 p.m on Wednesday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern Sichuan Province, marking the first step of China's ambitious three-stage moon mission and a new milestone in the country's space exploration history.

Following are some figures of the lunar orbiter:

-- 1.4 billion yuan: China's milestone lunar orbiter project has cost 1 to 1.4 billion yuan (about 133 to 187 million U.S. dollars) since research and development of the project was approved in the beginning of 2004.

-- 10,000 personnel: There are about 10,000 people involved in the project, including 5,000 researchers involved in five major systems of the project.

-- 103 times: This is the 103th flight of the Long March rocket series.

-- 330 hours: The duration from the rocket blast-off to the satellite establishing its own moon orbit lasts about 330 hours.

-- eight facilities: Chang'e-1 will carry eight probing facilities including a stereo camera and interferometer, an imager and gamma/x-ray spectrometer, a laser altimeter, a microwave detector, a high energy solar particle detector and a low energy ion detector.

-- four objectives: The satellite will fulfil four "scientific objectives", including a three-dimensional survey of the Moon's surface, analysis of the abundance and distribution of elements on lunar surface, an investigation of the characteristics of lunar regolith and the powdery soil layer on the surface, and an exploration of the circumstance between the Earth and the Moon.

-- 2,000 instructions: The Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC) will issue about 2,000 instructions during the Chang'e-1 flight to the moon.