Image of the moon's far side with the Earth visible in the background against the blackness of space, captured by the 2014 Chang’e-5 T1 mission. The lunar surface appears gray and cratered, highlighting the rugged terrain of the moon.
The far side of the moon and distant Earth, imaged by the 2014 Chang’e-5 T1 mission service module. Credit: Chinese Academy of Sciences

HELSINKI — China’s Queqiao-2 communications relay satellite entered lunar orbit March 24, paving the way for a lunar far side sample return mission.

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Andrew Jones writes about China's space industry, including civilian programs, space science and exploration, policy, and commercial developments for SpaceNews, and writes the China Report newsletter. He has additional bylines in Scientific American,...