China Launches Satellite Critical for Mission to Moon’s Far Side

Relay satellite will enable probe to communicate with Earth
Moon missions are part of busy year for China’s space program

The Long March-8 Y3 carrier rocket carrying the Queqiao-2 relay satellite blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on March 20.Photographer: Yuan Chen/VCG/Getty Images

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By Bloomberg News

March 20, 2024 at 2:02 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

China launched a lunar satellite designed to play a critical role in its competition with the US to be the leader in exploration of the moon.

The Queqiao-2 relay satellite went into orbit aboard a Long March-8 rocket at 8:31 a.m. Beijing time from the Wenchang launch site in southern China’s Hainan province, according to the China National Space Administration.