China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced last Friday that the launch of its key signal relay satellite, Queqiao-2, was a “complete success”. According to state media reports, this satellite will serve as the communication bridge for China’s future lunar probe missions for years to come. The CNSA also launched two miniature satellites, Tiandu-1 and Tiandu-2, on March 20 alongside Queqiao-2.
Queqiao-2 is named after a mythological bridge made of magpies and will be used as a communications bridge between the ground operations on Earth and upcoming lunar probe missions on the far side of the moon until at least 2030. This is because the moon’s near side always faces Earth, making data transfers from the far side impossible due to the lack of a direct line of sight.
Xiong Liang, the researcher and developer of Queqiao-2, described the satellite as “the main switch” of the whole fourth phase of lunar missions, according to state television CCTV. “Only when the main switch is flipped on, all the communications can kick-off,” Xiong said.
Queqiao-2 will orbit the moon and relay signals to and from the Chang’e-6 mission, which is expected to be launched in May. The robotic Chang’e-6 probe aims to retrieve samples from an ancient basin, acquiring lunar material from the moon’s hidden side for the first time. Additionally, Queqiao-2 will serve as a relay platform for the Chang’e-7 lunar mission in 2026 and the Chang’e-8 mission in 2028.
The functions and performance of Queqiao-2 have met mission requirements, according to the CNSA, and it will be able to provide relay communication services for China’s lunar exploration projects and future lunar missions for China and other countries. The satellite has successfully communicated with Chang’e 4, the first spacecraft to perform a soft landing on the far side of the moon, which is still carrying out its exploration mission. It also communicated with the Chang’e-6 probe while it was still on the ground earlier this month.
Queqiao-2 entered its targeted elliptical orbit on April 2 after a correction midway, near-moon braking and orbital manoeuvre around the moon, as per the CNSA. Notably, the successful launch of Queqiao-2 came after the failed launch of another lunar spacecraft, DRO-A/B satellites, which were intended to enter the moon’s distant retrograde orbit (DRO). China has not released any information on whether or not the satellites can be retrieved.
