FROM EIR DAILY ALERT

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China’s Chang’e-4 Relay Satellite Is On Its Way to the Moon

May 20, 2018 (EIRNS)—The first step in China’s groundbreaking Chang’e-4 mission, which will be mankind’s first landing on the far side of the Moon, took place at 05:28 on May 21 in China (21:28 UTC on May 20), with the launch of a small communications relay satellite. For the next approximately eight days, Queqiao, or “Magpie Bridge,” will travel past the Moon, to take up its assigned role. It is being positioned to be able to communicate at the same time with the Earth and with the spacecraft on the Moon’s far side surface, and will also carry out some astronomy observations.

Near the end of this year, the Chang’e-4 lander and rover will be launched, to carry out a range of scientific experiments in a far side region that cannot be seen from Earth.