Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Earth-Moon L2 relay link.
Credit: CNSA

China is set to announce the name for its relay satellite associated with the country’s far side lander – Chang’e-4.

According to the China state news agency, Xinhua, together with the relay satellite, two microsatellites, developed by the Harbin Institute of Technology, will also be sent into orbit to conduct scientific research. The names of the two microsatellites will also be announced on April 24.

China’s Space Day on April 24 marks the day the country’s first satellite was sent into space in 1970.

Target: Aitken Basin

The Moon’s far side is the target for the Chang’e-4 lander/rover spacecraft. However, landing and roving on the far side, not visible from Earth, requires a relay satellite to transmit signals to the landed hardware.

Chang’e-4 Moon lander and rover.

The Xinhua news story notes that China plans to send the relay satellite to the halo orbit of the Earth-Moon Lagrange Point L2 in late May or early June 2018. The Chang’e-4 lunar lander and rover is to touch down within the Aitken Basin of the south pole region of the Moon about half a year later.