Longjiang 1

retired

龙江一号

Science ExplorationcislunarCOSPAR 2018-045BLaunched 5/20/2018

Admin Edit

Mission & Launch

Launch Mission: Queqiao Mission
Launch Vehicle: Long March 4C
Launch Date: 5/20/2018
Last Contact: 5/21/2018

Orbit & Mass

Orbit Class: cislunar
Altitude: 192,273.5 km
Inclination: 28.5 deg
Dry Mass: 45 kg
Total Mass: 45 kg

Payload Classification

Mission Type: Science Exploration
Payload Category: PLAN
Payload Class: C

Organizations

Operator: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC)
Manufacturer: Harbin Institute of Technology

Registry

COSPAR ID: 2018-045B
UN Registration: ST/SG/SER.E/898

Track

Mentions

4

All verified mentions of this spacecraft in source documents.

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

Longjiang-2 was intended to test space-based interferometry in conjunction with Longjiang-1.

CapabilityPlanValue 3.0Jun 14, 2018Chang’e-4 relay satellite enters halo orbit around Earth-Moon L2, microsatellite in lunar orbit

The May launch will also carry two microsatellites named Longjiang-1 and Longjiang-2 developed by the Harbin Institute of Technology.

PlanCapabilityValue 3.5May 14, 2018China preparing to launch Chang’e-4 relay satellite May 21

Longjiang-1 and Longjiang-2 will carry synchronized receivers for low-frequency astronomy and very long baseline interferometry experiments and will operate in a highly elliptical lunar orbit.

CapabilityValue 4.0May 14, 2018China preparing to launch Chang’e-4 relay satellite May 21