By 
April 28th, 2024
Image credit: Dongfang Hour /Inside Outer Space screengrab
China’s ramping up of Moon exploration involves a space-based lunar infrastructure.
The Dongfang Hour presents an excellent review of spacecraft and ground-based vehicles that will increasingly need positioning and communication services at the Moon.
Enter China’s plan to establish a lunar satellite constellation called the “Queqiao constellation.” The focus of that country’s far side and lunar south pole investigations also means that communications will require relay satellites.
Image credit: Dongfang Hour /Inside Outer Space screengrab
Essential milestone
In preparation for this lunar constellation, expected in the 2030s, China has been launching single Queqiao spacecraft: the “Queqiao” in 2018, “Queqiao-2” in March 2024, and “Queqiao-3” by the end of the decade.
In this informative video, the Dongfang Hour covers this quest for lunar infrastructure, a low key but essential milestone for the establishment of China’s future lunar outpost, the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS).
Go to the video at:
Posted in Space News
