Queqiao-2
Queqiao-2 — China's second lunar relay satellite, launched on 20 March 2024. Since 2 April 2024 it has flown a stretched 24-hour orbit around the Moon, about 200 km above the surface at its lowest and 16,000 km at its highest, from which it relayed for Chang'e 6, the first sample return from the far side, and for Chang'e 4. It is built to work for at least eight years and to serve Chang'e 7 and 8. (Its orbit is drawn to its published size; its orientation and position on it are representative.)
Key facts
Mission & specifications
Mission
- Operator
- CNSA
- Launched
- March 20, 2024
- Status
- Active
Trajectory
- Distance from the Sun
- 1 AU
- Computed from the cached position
- Distance from Earth
- 0.265 AU
- Computed from cached positions
- Distance from Venus
- 0.313 AU
- Computed from cached positions
Mission
Queqiao-2 was launched on a Long March 8 from Wenchang on 20 March 2024 at 00:31 UTC to relay for China's next far-side missions. The same rocket carried Tiandu-1 and Tiandu-2, two small test satellites that went into lunar orbit of their own. It fired its engine near the Moon on 24 March (UTC) to be captured, and on 2 April settled into its mission orbit: a stretched ellipse about 200 km above the surface at its lowest and 16,000 km at its highest, taking 24 hours. That spring it relayed test signals to Chang'e 4, and then the whole far-side sample return of Chang'e 6. It is built to work for at least eight years and is planned to relay for Chang'e 7 and 8, the missions to the lunar south pole.
- 2024Queqiao-2 launches toward the Moon on a Long March 8 rocketLaunch
From Wenchang, with Tiandu-1 and Tiandu-2.
- 2024Captured by the MoonArrival
- 2024In its 24-hour relay orbitMilestone
About 200 km above the surface at its lowest and 16,000 km at its highest.
Images
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