Long March 8 Y3 Pre-launch

The first section of this post was originally posted on Ko-fi on February 22nd 2024.

A container containing hardware for the third Long March 8 launch being unloaded. ©China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology

Hardware for flight three of the Long March 8 has arrived in the province of Hainan, where the Wenchang Space Launch Site is located. The launch is currently planned for the 18th of March.

The rocket is currently expected to carry the Queqiao-2 relay satellite as its primary payload to a trans-lunar injection. Two small satellites, Tiandu-1 & Tiandu-2, will also be onboard.

The launch is also expected to be the first from Hainan Commercial Launch Pad 1, located at the Wenchang Space Launch Site. (This later did not turn out to be true).

Queqiao-2 will utilize an elliptical 'frozen orbit' of 300 by 8600 kilometers around the Moon to allow consistent communications with lunar missions, like Chang'e 6, 7, and 8.

A container with hardware for the third Long March 8 launch being unloaded.

The second section of this post was originally posted on Ko-fi on March 17th 2024.

The Long March 8 Y3 vehicle during rollout.

It's been almost a month since the Long March 8 Y3 rocket arrived in Wenchang. Early this morning, the 20th, the vehicle was moved from one of the vehicle assembly buildings out to its launchpad.

Onboard the rocket are three satellites; Queqiao-2, Tiandu-1, and Tiandu-2. Queqiao-2 is a relay satellite that will support the Chang'e 6, 7, and 8 missions via the use of an elliptical 'frozen orbit' of 300 by 8600 kilometers around the Moon. 

Queqiao-2 being placed on a payload mount prior to encapsulation in the Long March 8's fairing.

Pang Zhihao, formerly of the China Academy of Space Technology, believes that Queqiao-2 needing a launch on the Long March 8 indicates a plan for a longer lifespan saying the following to China Daily's Zhao Lei: 

"As far as I understand, the Queqiao 2 has been designed to have more functions and a longer life span. It will be key to China's next several lunar missions"

This may mean that the spacecraft will still be an operational part of the Queqiao lunar communications relay constellation, and possibly a technology demonstrator, which is planned to support China's crewed lunar exploration.

China is currently the only nation making serious progress toward solving communications challenges for lunar missions.

Also onboard for the launch are the Tiandu-1 and Tiandu-2 experimental communications satellites. The satellite duo will help prove technologies for China's lunar communications relay constellation.

Tiandu-1 has a Ka-band communications dish and laser reflector. The small spacecraft weighs just sixty-one kilograms.

Tiandu-2 will hitch a ride to lunar orbit on the side of Tiandu-2 and weighs just fifteen kilograms. Tiandu-2 is believed to be carrying technological experiments onboard, these were not specified by news outlets in China.

Tiandu-1 with Tiandu-2 attached behind an engineer during Queqiao-2 being placed on a payload mount.

Tiandu-1 and Queqiao-2 are currently believed to be entering lunar orbit separately. The propulsion system of Queqiao-2 is likely similar to Queqiao-1, with Tiandu-1's propulsion system possibly being electric due to its small mass and recent breakthroughs.

The launch of the Long March 8 Y3 vehicle is currently planned for 00:21 Universal Coordinated Time on the 20th of March. Official streams on the Western internet are not believed to be happening but individuals nearby in Wenchang may stream the launch.