China launches relay satellite Queqiao 2(1/6)

A Long March-8 Y3 carrier rocket carrying the relay satellite Queqiao 2 blasts off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China's Hainan Province, March 20, 2024. (Photo: China News Service/Jiang Qiming)

Queqiao 2, or Magpie Bridge 2, will serve as a relay platform for the fourth phase of China's lunar exploration program, providing communications services for the Chang'e 4, Chang'e 6, Chang'e 7, and Chang'e 8 missions.

A Long March-8 Y3 carrier rocket carrying the relay satellite Queqiao 2 blasts off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China's Hainan Province, March 20, 2024. (Photo: China News Service/Jiang Qiming)

A Long March-8 Y3 carrier rocket carrying the relay satellite Queqiao 2 blasts off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China's Hainan Province, March 20, 2024. (Photo: China News Service/Jiang Qiming)

A Long March-8 Y3 carrier rocket carrying the relay satellite Queqiao 2 blasts off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China's Hainan Province, March 20, 2024. (Photo: China News Service/Jiang Qiming)

A Long March-8 Y3 carrier rocket carrying the relay satellite Queqiao 2 blasts off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China's Hainan Province, March 20, 2024. (Photo: China News Service/Jiang Qiming)

A Long March-8 Y3 carrier rocket carrying the relay satellite Queqiao 2 blasts off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China's Hainan Province, March 20, 2024. (Photo: China News Service/Jiang Qiming)