CHINA'S first lunar probe Chang'e 1 sent back its first moon picture on Tuesday as scheduled, the National Space Administration said.

Experts will later adjust cameras on the satellite according to the moon picture's quality to ensure future photos are clear and accurate, a news report said yesterday.

The first moon photo will be made public about Monday, the report cited the administration as saying.

Tests on the orbiter's equipment showed that it is working normally and is in good condition, the administration said.

The probe had orbited the moon 168 times by 2pm on Wednesday, the administration said.

More tests will be conducted in the next few days that will help ensure data transmissions continue. The satellite has gone through a number of tests since it entered the moon's orbit on November 7. Chang'e 1's position was adjusted on Monday so its probing equipment faced the moon.

The satellite, named after a mythical Chinese goddess who flew to the moon, is supposed to stay 200km above the moon's surface to carry out scientific explorations for one year.

Cameras on the 2,350-kilogram satellite are expected to photograph every inch of the moon's surface by mid-January.

The orbiter is expected to analyze the chemical and mineral composition of the lunar surface and send data back to the Earth so that scientists can better understand the moon's environment, Li Guoping, the administration's spokesman, said in earlier reports.