China wants to explore the far side of the moon – but communication with probes there is difficult. That’s why the space agency CNSA has launched a second relay satellite into space.
China has launched a satellite into space that is important for future lunar missions. A Long March-8 Y carrier rocket carrying the Queqiao-2 relay satellite lifted off from the cosmodrome on the southern Chinese island of Hainan, Xinhua News Agency reported. According to the Chinese space agency CNSA, the satellite will be used for communication for future projects on the moon.
China plans to soon land a probe on the south side of the moon to take soil samples. “Queqiao-2” is intended to help in this endeavor to ensure communication on the far side of the moon.
In 2019, the People’s Republic had already successfully placed the “Chang’e-4” probe on the moon and had previously launched the first “Queqiao” relay satellite into space, through which the spacecraft later transmitted images to Earth. The relay satellite forms a communications triangle and allows the control center on Earth to send signals to the far side of the Moon.
The moon is becoming increasingly important
The Communist Party wants to have completed the People’s Republic’s first manned lunar mission by 2030. Recently, however, the Chinese space program suffered a setback when the Chinese satellites “DRO-A” and “DRO-B” missed their planned orbit after launching on Wednesday last week.
The moon has long been no longer an issue for the major space travel nations. That has now changed: the Chinese lunar exploration program competes with those of the USA, Japan and India.