Satellite launched to aid lunar missions
Queqiao 2 will help bolster communications between ground control and Moon probes
China on March 20 launched a relay satellite to lunar orbit to pave the way for the space power’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 launch pad at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in China’s southernmost island province of Hainan.
After a 24-minute flight, the satellite was released from the rocket and then entered into a lunar transfer trajectory. At the same time, the solar wings and communication antennas smoothly unfolded.
The completion of the maneuvers marked the launch mission’s success, and the Queqiao 2 has started its journey toward the moon, according to Ge Ping, one of the senior officials at the China National Space Administration who oversee the lunar program.
“The launch took place on time and the satellite entered its trajectory with good accuracy, laying a solid foundation for its coming operations,” he said.
In the next few days, the spacecraft is scheduled to carry out a series of maneuvers such as a mid-course trajectory correction and a braking operation before it enters an elliptical frozen orbit around the moon to become the second relay satellite above the silver celestial body.
After its arrival in the predetermined orbital position, Queqiao 2 will conduct two-way communication tests with the Chang’e 4 probe that is on the lunar surface and the Chang’e 6, which is waiting for launch at the Wenchang center, to examine its performance, according to Ge.
China opened its lunar program in 2004 and has launched five robotic probes to our nearest celestial neighbor since 2007. The most recent mission, the Chang’e 5, landed on the Moon in December 2020 and soon returned 1,731 grams of lunar samples back to Earth, achieving a historic accomplishment about 44 years after the last lunar substances were brought back from the silver sphere.
The March 20 flight marked the third mission of the Long March 8, a medium-lift rocket designed and built by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, and the first time the type has been used in a lunar mission.
To ensure a successful launch, engineers at the academy designed six flight plans in case the most preferred launch date is postponed due to bad weather or other unfavorable situations.
They also worked out a new technology that enables the rocket to withstand the effects of upper-atmospheric winds, which often cause hazards to a vertically flying craft.
Moreover, engineers placed additional heat-proof paint-coat on the Long March 8 to offset the extreme heat that challenges every rocket bound for lunar transfer trajectory, according to the academy.