Relay satellite for moon shot settles into orbit

Queqiao, the relay satellite tasked with servicing the planned Chang'e 4 lunar mission, has entered its preset orbit and will carry out communication relay tests, China's space authority said on Thursday.

The China National Space Administration said in a statement that the Queqiao - named after a legendary bridge of stars in the Milky Way - entered a halo orbit around Lagrangian Point 2 (or L2), a gravitationally stable spot located 455,000 kilometers from Earth and 65,000 km from the moon, at 11:06 am after a journey of more than three weeks.

The satellite will begin in-orbit tests of its communication relay capabilities to prepare for the Chang'e 4 mission, which is scheduled to land a probe on the moon around year's end, the statement said, noting that it is the world's first communications satellite to operate near the Earth-moon L2 point.