China launches signal relay satellite for mission to moon's hidden side

By Albee Zhang and Ryan Woo

BEIJING: China on Wednesday launched a satellite that will act as a communications bridge between ground operations on Earth and an upcoming mission on the far side of the moon, marking a new phase in the country's long-term lunar exploration programme.

A Long March 8 rocket carrying the 1.2-metric ton Queqiao-2, named after a mythological bridge made of magpies, and two miniature satellites, Tiandu-1 and -2, blasted off from the southern island province of Hainan, state media reported.

The moon's near side always faces Earth. That means data transfers from the far side are impossible as there is no direct line of sight.

Queqiao-2 will orbit the moon and relay signals to and from the Chang'e-6 mission, expected to be launched in May. The robotic Chang'e-6 mission will seek to retrieve samples from an ancient basin, acquiring lunar material from the moon's hidden side for the first time.

Queqiao-2 will also be used as a relay platform for the Chang'e-7 lunar mission in 2026 and the Chang'e-8 mission in 2028.

By 2040, Queqiao-2 will be part of a constellation of relay satellites serving as a communications bridge for crewed lunar missions and exploration on other planets like Mars and Venus.

The Tiandu-1 and -2 miniature satellites will conduct tests for the construction a constellation.

The constellation will also provide communications, navigation and remote sensing support for China's research station planned for the moon's south pole.

Queqiao-2 has a designed lifespan of at least eight years and will take over from Queqiao-1, launched in 2018.

Queqiao-1, which has a designed lifespan of five years and is just a third as massive as Queqiao-2, was the first relay satellite deployed to the far side of the moon.

In 2019, Chang'e-4 was the first spacecraft to perform a soft landing on the far side of the moon.