Long March 8 | Queqiao-2

Long March 8

Mar 20, 12:31 AM UTC

Mission Elapsed Time

T-00:00:00

Mission Details

Queqiao-2 is a Chinese artificial satellite to serve as a communications relay for future Chinese lunar far side missions that cannot communicate directly with the Earth, beginning with the Chang'e 6 lunar sample return mission in 2024. It will operate from a Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) of the Moon. The launch also carries the Tiandu-1 & 2 small satellites testing cis-lunar space navigation and inter-satellite communication techniques for CNSA’s Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (DSEL).

Type: Planetary Science
Orbit: Lunar Orbit (LO)
Programs: Chinese Lunar Exploration Program

Launch Site

Pad: 201
Location: Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China
Country: 🇨🇳 CHN