China's Lunar Satellite Constellation: Advancing Space Ambitions and International Collaboration
China's space authorities are planning to develop a lunar satellite constellation called Queqiao to support their deep space missions, including future lunar surface research stations. The constellation would consist of spacecraft stationed in circumlunar space and Earth-moon lagrange points, providing crucial support for communication, navigation, and remote sensing services. China has already launched a communications relay satellite into Earth-moon Lagrange point 2 (EML2) and plans to launch an improved version, Queqiao-2, next year. The development of this lunar infrastructure could position China as a global leader in moon exploration and beyond, but it may also raise concerns among other space actors.