2024-04-12 07:15:30
BEIJING, April 12, 2024 (Xinhua) The Xueqiao-2 satellite recently completed in-orbit communication tests, with its platform and payloads operating normally, the China National Space Administration said on Friday.
The authority added that the functions and performance of “Xue Qiao-2” meet the requirements of the mission, and it can provide tracking communications services for the fourth phase of the Chinese lunar exploration project and future lunar exploration missions for China and other countries, announcing the complete success of the “Xue Qiao-2” mission.
The satellite successfully completed a communication test on April 6 with the Chinese lunar probe Chang’e-4, which is now carrying out an exploration mission on the far side of the moon. From April 8 to 9, the satellite conducted communication tests with the Chang’e-6 probe, which has not yet been launched.
The Xueqiao-2 satellite was launched on March 20 and entered the designated highly elliptical orbit on April 2 following midway course correction, near-lunar braking, and orbital maneuvering around the moon.
The two satellites for testing communications and navigation technology, “Tianduo-1” and “Tianduo-2”, which were launched together with “Xueqiao-2”, entered their designated orbit around the moon on March 29 and separated from each other on April 3, and are currently conducting a series. Of tests on communications and navigation technology.
Xueqiao-2, Tiandou-1 and Tiandou-2 take a highly elliptical frozen orbit around the moon as their specific orbits. This type of orbit is stable, ensuring that spacecraft move with minimal deviation from the path.
This orbit has many advantages over Xueqiao-2. Compared with the Xueqiao satellite, which was launched in 2018 for tracking communications between Earth and the Moon, the Xueqiao-2’s orbit is closer to the Moon, which greatly improves the communication rate of data transmission.
Compared with “Xueqiao”, which orbits the second Lagrange point (L2) in the Earth-Moon system, “Xueqiao-2” has achieved a significant improvement in its communications coverage in the lunar south pole region.
This orbit also helps the satellite save fuel, meaning Xueqiao-2 can stay in orbit for a long time while using little fuel.
Xueqiao-2 will provide tracking communications services for the Chang’e-4 lunar probe and the Chang’e-6 mission in the future as planned, and carry out scientific exploration in time.
The deployment of the Xueqiao-2 tracking satellite is a major step for China’s future lunar exploration missions, including Chang’e-6, Chang’e-7 and Chang’e-8.
Since the landing and sample collection sites for Chinese lunar exploration missions in the coming years will mainly be in the lunar south pole or on the far side of the moon, a more powerful satellite with more functions to provide communication and data transmission services is essential for exploration missions.
Chang’e-6 is scheduled to be launched in the first half of 2024, while Chang’e-7 will be launched around 2026, and Chang’e-8 will be launched around 2028. Chang’e-7 and Chang’e-8 will form the basic configuration of a lunar research station to explore the lunar environment, according to the China National Space Administration.
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