China launches Queqiao to prepare for moon landing this year

Brian G Turner

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China has launched an orbiter to serve as a communications relay with a planned lunar lander later this year:

China launch will prep for Moon landing

China has launched a relay satellite to prepare for a lunar rover mission planned for later in the year.

The Queqiao spacecraft will establish a communications link between Earth and the landing mission, which looks set to launch in the next six months.

The satellite was launched at 22:28 BST on Sunday (05:28 local time) from Xichang launch centre in the country's south-west.

It will settle in an orbit about 455,000 km (282,555 miles) from Earth.
 

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