The National Space Administration has announced that at 00:46 on March 25th, after approximately 112 hours of lunar-bound flight, the Queqiao No. 2 relay satellite initiated its lunar orbit insertion at about 440 kilometers from the lunar surface. Roughly 19 minutes later, it successfully entered into an orbit around the Moon.
Moving forward, the Queqiao No. 2 relay satellite will adjust its lunar orbit's altitude and inclination to enter a 24-hour period, high-elliptical mission orbit. It plans to conduct intercommunication tests with the Chang'e 4 and Chang'e 6 missions.
It's highlighted that lunar orbit insertion is the most critical orbital control maneuver during the lunar satellite mission. The satellite must "brake" when it approaches the Moon, reducing its velocity below the lunar escape velocity, to be captured by the Moon's gravity, achieving lunar orbit.
Additionally, the Tianhe-1 and Tianhe-2 communication and navigation technology test satellites, launched simultaneously with the Queqiao No. 2 on the Long March 8 Y3 rocket, also completed their lunar orbit insertion at 01:43 on the same day and will proceed as planned with their separation.
