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Queqiao

retired

鹊桥

Science ExplorationcislunarCOSPAR 2018-045ALaunched 5/20/2018
Admin Edit
Mission & Launch
Launch Mission
Queqiao Mission
Launch Vehicle
Long March 4C
Launch Date
5/20/2018
Last Contact
3/22/2024
Orbit & Mass
Orbit Class
cislunar
Altitude
191,751.5 km
Inclination
27.5 deg
Dry Mass
325 kg
Total Mass
425 kg
Payload Classification
Mission Type
Science Exploration
Payload Category
PLAN
Payload Class
C
Organizations
Operator
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC)
Manufacturer
China Academy of Space Technology (CAST)
Registry
COSPAR ID
2018-045A
UN Registration
ST/SG/SER.E/856
Track
Mentions
140
All verified mentions of this spacecraft in source documents.
0.0-5.0
Actions

Queqiao-2’s 24-hour-period elliptical frozen orbit will place the satellite beyond the moon to provide line of sight with both Earth ground stations and Chang’e-6 in Apollo crater.

CapabilityGeneralValue 4.0Oct 17, 2023China to launch Queqiao-2 moon relay satellite in early 2024
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Queqiao-2 will use X-band and UHF frequencies to communicate with spacecraft and S-band and Ka-band frequencies to communicate with Earth.

CapabilityGeneralValue 4.2Oct 17, 2023China to launch Queqiao-2 moon relay satellite in early 2024

Queqiao-2 will assist the ongoing Chang’e-4 lunar far side lander and rover after completing short-term support for Chang’e-6.

PlanValue 4.0Oct 17, 2023China to launch Queqiao-2 moon relay satellite in early 2024

Queqiao-2 will launch with two experimental CubeSats named Tiandu-1 and Tiandu-2 to test lunar communications and navigation payloads.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0Oct 17, 2023China to launch Queqiao-2 moon relay satellite in early 2024

Queqiao-2 will operate in a 24-hour-period inclined elliptical frozen orbit during support for Chang’e-6.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0Oct 17, 2023China to launch Queqiao-2 moon relay satellite in early 2024

Queqiao-2 will switch to a 12-hour-period orbit to support the Chang’e-7 mission in 2026 and the Chang’e-8 mission in 2028.

PlanValue 4.0Oct 17, 2023China to launch Queqiao-2 moon relay satellite in early 2024

Queqiao-2 is scheduled to launch in March 2024.

PlanValue 4.0Oct 17, 2023China to launch Queqiao-2 moon relay satellite in early 2024

A relay satellite named Queqiao-2 will be launched early in 2024 to provide communications support for Chang’e-6, Chang’e-7, and Chang’e-8.

PlanCapabilityValue 4.5Oct 8, 2023Azerbaijan signs up to China’s international moon base project

Queqiao-2 and its two Tiandu companion satellites will form part of Queqiao version 1.0 to establish Earth–moon communication capabilities.

CapabilityGeneralValue 4.0Oct 5, 2023China wants a lunar satellite constellation to support deep space missions

Queqiao V2 would seek to provide whole-moon coverage with a proposed topology of three satellites each in EML1 and EML2, one satellite at EML3, six circular-orbit satellites, a pair in elliptical frozen orbits and a geostationary orbital interplanetary station.

CapabilityGeneralValue 4.0Oct 5, 2023China wants a lunar satellite constellation to support deep space missions

Queqiao-2 is scheduled to launch around May next year to support the Chang’e-6, Chang’e-7 and Chang’e-8 far side and lunar south pole landing missions.

PlanGeneralValue 4.0Oct 5, 2023China wants a lunar satellite constellation to support deep space missions

The Queqiao-2 relay satellite to support Chang’e-6 is scheduled to launch in March 2024.

PlanValue 4.0Oct 2, 2023Heads of agencies update on crewed, robotic lunar plans

Queqiao-2 will enter a distant retrograde orbit or an inclined highly elliptical frozen orbit to support Chang'e-6 rather than a halo orbit around Earth-Moon Lagrange point 2.

PlanCapabilityValue 4.0Sep 29, 2023China to attempt lunar far side sample return in 2024

The first Queqiao satellite supported the 2019 Chang'e-4 mission, which achieved the first soft landing on the lunar far side.

GeneralValue 4.0Sep 29, 2023China to attempt lunar far side sample return in 2024

Harbin Institute of Technology previously developed the Longjiang-1 and Longjiang-2 small satellites that piggybacked on the Queqiao lunar relay satellite to support the Chang’e-4 lunar far side landing mission.

GeneralCapabilityValue 4.0Jun 9, 2023China’s first stackable satellite reaches orbit on solid rocket launch

Queqiao-2 will support the Chang’e-6 sample return mission scheduled to launch in May 2024.

PlanValue 4.0Apr 28, 2023China to establish organization to coordinate international moon base

Queqiao-2 is an upgraded relay satellite that will act as a communications relay for the Chang’e-7 and Chang’e-8 missions.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0Apr 28, 2023China to establish organization to coordinate international moon base

Queqiao-2 will launch in early 2024 to support upcoming robotic landing missions at the lunar south pole and the far side of the Moon.

PlanCapabilityGeneralValue 4.0Jan 18, 2023China to launch relay satellite next year to support moon landing missions

Queqiao-2 will be an upgrade of the first Queqiao satellite that was launched in 2018 to the Earth–Moon L2 point to support the 2019 Chang’e-4 lunar far side lander and rover mission.

PlanCapabilityValue 4.0Jan 18, 2023China to launch relay satellite next year to support moon landing missions

Queqiao-2 will likely change its orbit to an inclined, highly elliptical frozen orbit to provide communications coverage for Chang’e-7 and Chang’e-8.

PlanCapabilityValue 4.0Jan 18, 2023China to launch relay satellite next year to support moon landing missions