Satellite set to pave way for moon missions
China launched a relay satellite on Wednesday morning to lunar orbit, which is expected to pave the way for the country's prospective trailblazing expeditions to the moon.
The Queqiao 2, or Magpie Bridge 2, satellite was lifted atop a Long March 8 carrier rocket that blasted off at 8:31 am from a coastal launchpad at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in China's southernmost island province of Hainan.
After flying about 24 minutes, the satellite was released from the rocket and entered a lunar transfer trajectory. At the same time, the solar wings and communication antennas smoothly unfolded.
Following the completion of the maneuvers, the Queqiao 2 began its journey toward the moon, according to Ge Ping, one of the senior officials at the China National Space Administration who are overseeing the lunar programs.
"The launch took place on time and the satellite entered its trajectory with good accuracy, laying a solid foundation for its coming operations," Ge said.
Over the next few days, the spacecraft is scheduled to carry out a series of maneuvers, such as a midcourse trajectory correction and a braking operation, before it enters an elliptical frozen orbit to become the second relay satellite above the moon.
After its arrival in the predetermined orbital position, Queqiao 2 is set to conduct two-way communication tests with the Chang'e 4 probe, which is on the lunar surface, and Chang'e 6, which is waiting to be launched at the Wenchang center, to examine its performance, according to Ge.
The Queqiao 2, or Magpie Bridge 2, relay satellite is launched at 8:31 am on Wednesday atop a Long March 8 carrier rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province. ZHENG XINQIA / NANFANG DAILY
Developed by the China Academy of Space Technology, Queqiao 2 is based on the CAST2000 satellite framework. It weighs about 1.2 metric tons and has two major payloads — a 4.2-meter parabolic antenna for communications with lunar probes and a 0.6-meter parabolic antenna to transmit data to ground control.
Queqiao 2 is primarily tasked with relaying signals and data during the Chang'e 6 robotic mission, which is scheduled to be launched by a Long March 5 heavy-lift rocket before July.
In the long term, the satellite will also serve the Chang'e 7 and 8 missions. These will be the basis for an ambitious multinational plan known as the International Lunar Research Station, which is expected to be built in the 2030s.
Those missions are expected to give new momentum to China's lunar exploration endeavors, which have already gained remarkable feats.
China commenced its lunar program in 2004 and has launched five robotic probes to the moon since 2007. The most recent mission, Chang'e 5, landed on the moon in December 2020 and soon sent 1,731 grams of lunar samples back to Earth, achieving the historic accomplishment about 44 years after the last lunar substances were brought back from the moon.
(China Daily)
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