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China launches relay satellite for Chang'e-4 lunar probe

China on Monday successfully launched a relay satellite for the Chang'e-4 lunar mission, which is scheduled for later this year. The satellite, named Queqiao...

China Launches Relay Satellite to Explore Moon's Far Side

China launched a relay satellite early Monday to set up a communication link between Earth and the planned Chang'e-4 lunar probe that will explore the myster...

Full Video: China launches relay satellite to explore far side of the Moon

China launched a relay satellite early Monday to set up a communication link between Earth and the planned Chang'e-4 lunar probe that will explore the myster...

Queqiao (Chang'e 4 relay satellite)

Overview

Destination: Lunar Orbit
Mission: Planetary Science

Lunar Orbit Launch Complex 3 (LC-3/LA-1) Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Chang'e 4 is a Chinese lunar exploration mission that will incorporate an orbiter, a robotic lander and rover. The orbiter serves as a communications relay satellite. It will be placed into a halo orbit around the Earth-Moon L2 Lagrange point and is planned to support further missions to the far side of the Moon.

Long March 4C

Family:
Configuration: C

The Long March 4C, also known as the Chang Zheng 4C, CZ-4C and LM-4C, previously designated Long March 4B-II, is a Chinese orbital carrier rocket. It is launched from the Jiuquan, Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre and Xichangs, and consists of 3 stages. Long March 4C vehicles have been used to launch the Yaogan-1, Yaogan-3 SAR satellites and the Fengyun-3A polar orbiting meteorological satellite. On December 15, 2009 a Long March 4C was used to launch Yaogan 8.

Specifications
  • Stages
    3
  • Length
  • Diameter
  • Fairing Diameter
  • Launch Mass
  • Thrust
Family
  • Name
    Long March 4C
  • Family
  • Variant
    C
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Long March 4C
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
  • Low Earth Orbit
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

(CASC)

Chairman & President: Lei Fanpei Founded: 1999 Successes: 496 Failures: 14 Pending: 5

Agency Type:

The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) is the main contractor for the Chinese space program. It is state-owned and has a number of subordinate entities which design, develop and manufacture a range of spacecraft, launch vehicles, strategic and tactical missile systems, and ground equipment. It was officially established in July 1999 as part of a Chinese government reform drive, having previously been one part of the former China Aerospace Corporation. Various incarnations of the program date back to 1956.

INFO WIKI

Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Launch Complex 3 (LC-3/LA-1)


Falcon 9
Deployed
1 hour, 8 minutes ago
SPHEREx & PUNCH
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

SPHEREx is a planned two-year astrophysics mission to survey the sky in the near-infrared light, which, though not visible to the human eye, serves a…


Long March 8
Success
11 hours, 40 minutes ago
G60 Polar Group 05
Commercial LC-1 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

18 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites with Ku, Q and V band payloads for the G60 constellation operated by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technolo…


Long March 3
Success
2 days, 11 hours ago
TJSW-15
Launch Complex 3 (LC-3/LA-1) - Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Chinese classified satellite claimed to be for communication technology test purposes. Actual mission not known.


Starship
Failure
5 days, 4 hours ago
Flight 8
Orbital Launch Mount A - SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA

Eighth test flight of the two-stage Starship launch vehicle.


Ariane 62
Success
5 days, 11 hours ago
CSO-3
Ariane Launch Area 4 - Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

The CSO-3 (Composante Spatiale Optique-3 satellite is the third of three new-generation high-resolution optical imaging satellites for the French mil…


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
Starlink Group 12-20
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 21 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Soyuz 2.1b/Fregat-M
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
Glonass-K2 No. 14 (Kosmos 2584)
43/3 (43L) - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Glonass-K2 are the fourth generation of satellite design for GLONASS satellite navigation system. GLONASS is a Russian space-based navigation system …


Kuaizhou
Failure
1 week, 3 days ago
Unknown Payload
Launch Area 95A - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Details TBD.


Soyuz 2.1a
Success
1 week, 5 days ago
Progress MS-30 (91P)
31/6 - Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan

Progress resupply mission to the International Space Station.


Long March 2
Success
1 week, 5 days ago
SuperView Neo 1-03 & 04
Launch Area 4 (SLS-2 / 603) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Commercial Earth observation satellites (~540 kg each) built by CAST for China Siwei Survey and Mapping Technology Co. Ltd., with resolution down to …