鹊桥
Chang’e 7’s lander will descend to Shackleton from a pre-landing orbit while maintaining communication through the Queqiao-2 relay satellite.
The Chang'e-7 mission patch depicts a lander, a rover, a shadowed crater hopper or probe, an orbiter, and the Queqiao-2 relay satellite.
Queqiao-2 is a relay satellite in China’s lunar exploration program.
China reinforced its cislunar presence with Queqiao-2 in 2024.
Queqiao-1 provided communications access to the Chang'e-4 lander and rover on the far side of the Moon.
Queqiao-1 operates in a Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit near the Earth-Moon L2 region.
Queqiao-1 was the first dedicated relay satellite placed near the Earth-Moon L2 region.
China launched Chang'e-4 and deployed Queqiao-1 in 2018.
Queqiao-2 arrived in a highly eccentric, highly inclined orbit to broaden communication coverage focused on the Moon’s South Pole.
China’s Deep Space Exploration Laboratory plans to build a Queqiao constellation for communications with crewed spacecraft, remote sensing satellites, and space stations around the Moon.
Queqiao enables communications with spacecraft on or passing by the far side of the Moon.
The Queqiao relays have been performing tests with the Tiandu-1 and Tiandu-2 satellites when they are not needed for Chang’e missions.
China deployed the Queqiao lunar relay satellite to the Earth-Moon L2 Lagrange point in 2018.
Queqiao-2 was launched toward lunar space in 2024.
The laser communication technology could be a key part of the proposed Queqiao lunar relay constellation planned to support robotic and crewed lunar exploration.
Queqiao-2 is in an elliptical frozen orbit that regularly sees the lunar far side and the lunar south pole for extended periods.
Queqiao-1 is positioned at the Moon–Earth L2 Lagrange point to constantly see the Moon's far side.
China operates two relay satellites, Queqiao 1 and Queqiao 2, for communicating with its Chang’e 4 and Chang’e 6 landers on the lunar farside respectively.
The Chang’e 7 mission includes a lander, an orbiter, a rover, a hopper, and the lunar satellite Queqiao 2.
The Chang'e 6 mission lasted 53 days and employed the Queqiao 2 relay satellite for communication support.