CHINA'S first lunar probe Chang'e 1 is expected to lose contact with ground control for 45 minutes today, Xinhua news agency reports.

According to the Beijing Aerospace Control Centre, radio transmissions will be cut off by the orbital motion of the moon, the report said.

Chang'e 1 completed its third braking maneuver and reached its final planned lunar orbit on the morning of November 7.

The satellite has so far completed four orbital transfers, one orbital correction and three braking maneuvers.

Chang'e 1 blasted off on a Long March 3A carrier rocket on October 24 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province, marking the first step of China's ambitious 10-year moon plan, which will eventually lead to a moon landing and launch of a moon rover sometime around 2012.