Queqiao-1

Queqiao relay satellite (<a href="/facts/Simplified_Chinese_characters/UcAD6xXs">Chinese</a>: 鹊桥号中继卫星; <a href="/facts/Pinyin/pUwjfMXg">pinyin</a>: Quèqiáo hào zhōngjì wèixīng; lit. '<a href="/facts/The_Cowherd_and_the_Weaver_Girl/0N171NyB">Magpie Bridge</a> relay satellite'), is the first of the pair of communications relay and radio astronomy satellites for the <a href="/facts/Chinese_Lunar_Exploration_Program/yvU3sNf1">Chinese Lunar Exploration Program</a>. The <a href="/facts/China_National_Space_Administration/q3s4bGYt">China National Space Administration</a> (CNSA) launched the Queqiao relay satellite on 20 May 2018 to a <a href="/facts/Halo_orbit/NnTW9mnT">halo orbit</a> around the Earth–Moon <a href="/facts/Lagrangian_points/XCAN4o3P">L2 Lagrangian point</a> Queqiao is the first communication relay and <a href="/facts/Radio_astronomy/TdjF4LgL">radio astronomy</a> satellite at this location.
The name Queqiao ("Magpie Bridge") was inspired by and came from the Chinese tale <a href="/facts/The_Cowherd_and_the_Weaver_Girl/0N171NyB">The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl</a>.

Queqiao-1 open-in-new

Queqiao-1