China National Space Administration (CNSA) said on Friday its launch of a key signal relay satellite was a &complete success& and it would serve as the communication bridge for its future lunar probe missions for years to come, state media reported.China launched the satellite Queqiao-2, which was named after a mythological bridge made of magpies, and two miniature satellites, Tiandu-1 and Tiandu-2, on March 20.Queqiao-2 will be used as a communications bridge between the ground operations on earth and upcoming lunar probe missions on the far side of the moon until at least 2030.The moon&s near side always faces earth.

That means data transfers from the far side are impossible because there is no direct line of sight.Queqiao-2 researcher and developer Xiong Liang described the satellite as &the main switch& of the whole fourth phase of lunar missions, according to state television CCTV.&Only when the main switch is flipped on, all the communications can kick off,& Xiong said.Queqiao-2 will orbit the moon and relay signals to and from the Chang&e-6 mission, which expected to be launched in May.

The robotic Chang&e-6 probe will seek to retrieve samples from an ancient basin, acquiring lunar material from the moon&s hidden side for the first time.Queqiao-2 will also be used as a relay platform for the Chang&e-7 lunar mission in 2026 and the Chang&e-8 mission in 2028.The functions and performance of Queqiao-2 met mission requirements and it will be able to provide relay communication services for China&s lunar exploration projects and future lunar missions for China and other countries, said the CNSA, according to CCTV.Queqiao-2 entered its targeted elliptical orbit on April 2 after a correction midway, near-moon braking and orbital manoeuvre around the moon, CNSA said.The satellite has successfully communicated with Chang&e 4, which was the first spacecraft to perform a soft landing on the far side of the moon and is still carrying out its exploration mission.

It also communicated with the Chang&e-6 probe while it is still on the ground earlier this month.The successful launch of Queqiao-2 comes after the failed launch of another lunar spacecraft DRO-A/B satellites, which was intended to enter the moon&s distant retrograde orbit (DRO).China has not released any information on whether or not the satellites can be retrieved. (Reuters)The post China launch of relay satellite Queqiao-2 for lunar probe mission successful first appeared on Ariana News.