China launch of relay satellite Queqiao-2 for lunar probe mission successful | Know More | Oneindia
Video Credit: Oneindia - Duration: 03:15s - Published
China launch of relay satellite Queqiao-2 for lunar probe mission successful | Know More | Oneindia
China's National Space Administration (CNSA) announced on Friday that the Queqiao-2 satellite has successfully concluded its in-orbit communication tests, with both its platform and payloads operating as expected.
CNSA affirmed that Queqiao-2's functions and performance align with mission specifications, enabling it to deliver relay communication services for the fourth phase of China's lunar exploration endeavour and forthcoming lunar missions undertaken by China and other nations.
This milestone marks the Queqiao-2 mission as a resounding success.
On April 6, the satellite accomplished a successful communication test with the Chang'e-4 spacecraft, currently engaged in an exploration mission on the far side of the moon.
Subsequently, from April 8 to 9, it underwent communication trials with the Chang'e-6 probe, slated for future launch.
Launched on March 20, Queqiao-2 reached its intended highly elliptical orbit around the moon on April 2, following midway correction, near-moon braking, and orbital manoeuvres.
China Raises Flag , on the 'Dark Side' , of the Moon.
'Newsweek' reports that for the first time in human
history, China has begun the process of returning
samples from the "dark side" of the moon to the Earth. .
The Chang'e-6 craft reportedly raised a small Chinese
flag after collecting the samples before ending
its two-day mission on the moon's "dark side.".
It is an impressive
demonstration of Chinese
technological capability, John Logsdon, professor emeritus at the George Washington
University and founder of its Space Policy Institute, via 'Newsweek'.
The "dark side" refers to the hemisphere of
the moon that faces away from the Earth most
of the time due to its synchronous rotation.
John Logsdon, professor emeritus at the
George Washington University and founder of
its Space Policy Institute, says the samples could... .
... "determine whether the lunar far side is
similar or dissimilar to the face of the moon
that has been explored for over 50 years.".
The Chang'e-6 landed at the moon's
South Pole in the Aitken Basin, one of our
solar system's largest impact craters.
In order to communicate with the spacecraft,
China used the Queqiao-2 relay satellite to transmit
messages to vehicles on either side of the moon.
The probe autonomously used a robotic arm
to drill into the surface and gather the samples. .
'Newsweek' reports that the lander also carried three
research instruments from European space agencies,
including Italy's National Institute for Nuclear Physics.
China's seventh Chang'e mission
is scheduled to take place in 2026.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
ESA and China Space Agency , Collaboration Detects Negative Ions , on Dark Side of Moon.
China's Chang'e-6 lunar lander landed on the
dark side of the Moon, successfully gathered
samples and lifted off in just over 48 hours. .
'Futurism' reports that the historic feat resulted in the
first-ever samples collected from the far side of the
Moon, which permanently faces away from the Earth.
The trip also saw the lander deposit several scientific
payloads, including the Negative Ions at the Lunar Surface
(NILS) instrument for the European Space Agency.
This was ESA’s first activity on the
surface of the Moon, a world-first
scientifically, and a first lunar
cooperation with China, Neil Melville, ESA’s technical officer for the experiment, via 'Futurism'.
The moon's lack of a magnetic field makes
the surface extremely vulnerable to charged solar
particles, which create negatively charged ions. .
Before it could make its observations, the NILS instrument
had to be adjusted to the extreme lunar surface conditions,
going through a cycle of reboots and blackouts.
Once it adjusted, the instrument detected negative ions
from solar winds bombarding the Moon's surface and
successfully transmitted back usable data.
We have collected an
amount and quality of data
far beyond our expectations, Neil Melville, ESA’s technical officer for the experiment, via 'Futurism'.
'Futurism' explains that the data could have significant
implications for our understanding of how our celestial
neighborhood deals without having a magnetic field. .
These observations on the Moon will
help us better understand the surface
environment and act as a pathfinder
to explore negative ion populations
in other airless bodies in the
Solar System, from planets to
asteroids and other moons, Martin Wieser, NILS principal investigator, via 'Futurism'
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Farewell ceremony held ahead of the launch of China's Shenzhou-18 mission, crewed by three astronauts headed to its Tiangong space station from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China...
![China Raises Flag on the 'Dark Side' of the Moon [Video]](https://video.newsserve.net/300/v/20240605/1377567580-China-Raises-Flag-on-the-Dark-Side-of.jpg)
![ESA and China Space Agency Collaboration Detects Negative Ions on Dark Side of Moon [Video]](https://video.newsserve.net/300/v/20240610/1378153534-ESA-and-China-Space-Agency-Collaboration-Detects-Negative.jpg)
![China holds astronaut farewell ceremony ahead of Shenzhou-18 launch [Video]](https://video.newsserve.net/300/v/20240425/1373744712-China-holds-astronaut-farewell-ceremony-ahead-of-Shenzhou.jpg)
