Queqiao (space satellites)

2024: Satellite Launch Queqiao-2

On March 20, 2024, China successfully launched the Queqiao-2 spacecraft (Queqiao-2). This satellite will have to perform the functions of a repeater to provide communication between the Earth and the moon for future space missions.

The Changzheng-8 Raketa carrier with the Queqiao-2 vehicle was launched from the Wenchang Cosmodrome, located on the northeast coast of Hainan Island. After about 24 minutes of flight, the satellite separated from the rocket and entered a given transition orbit. Solar panels and communication antennas are disclosed in normal mode.

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The satellite has a mass of approximately 1200 kg. It is equipped with a parabolic antenna with a diameter of 4.2 meters. The spacecraft will provide communication between the Earth and the far side of the Moon - including for the Chang'e-6 mission to deliver soil samples from the Earth's natural satellite.

"Queqiao-2" is an advanced version of the spacecraft "Queqiao," launched in 2018. The new satellite is located in an elliptical orbit: the nearest point is at an altitude of 300 km, and the farthest is at an altitude of 8600 km above the surface of the moon. The craft takes about 12 hours to make one revolution around the Moon, and in that time communication between the Earth and the far side of the Moon can be provided for about eight hours. The satellite supports multiple data modes and uses reconfigurable software.

In addition to the signal repeater, the Queqiao-2 carries three scientific instruments on board, including an ultraviolet camera. The estimated service life is at least eight years. Together with this device, small satellites Tiandu-1 (Tiandu-1) and Tiandu-2 (Tiandu-2) were launched, which will be used to test navigation and communication technologies.^[1]

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