China launched a new relay satellite on Wednesday to provide Earth-Moon communications services, a key step for its future lunar exploration missions such as retrieving samples from the far side of the moon and exploring the lunar south pole region.

A Long March-8 rocket, carrying the satellite dubbed Queqiao-2, or magpie bridge-2, soared into the sky at 8:31 a.m. from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province.

After 24 minutes of flight, the satellite separated from the rocket, and entered the planned Earth-Moon transfer orbit with the perigee at 200 kilometers and the apogee at 420,000 kilometers. The satellite's solar panels and communications antennae were then unfolded, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

"Today's launch has laid a good foundation for the ensuing flight control of the Queqiao-2 relay satellite," said Ge Ping, deputy director of the CNSA's Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center.

However, the successful launch is only the first step of the Queqiao-2 mission - A series of important maneuvers such as midway trajectory correction, decelerating near the moon and orbit adjustment will be carried out before Queqiao-2 enters its target elliptical orbit around the moon to become the world's second relay satellite deployed beyond Earth orbit.

"After that, communications tests will be carried out to determine whether the Queqiao-2 relay satellite has the ability to support the sample collection mission from the far side of the moon," Ge added.

CNSA said that in addition to China's missions, the Queqiao-2 relay satellite can also provide communications services for other country's lunar exploration missions.

"China has always attached great importance to international cooperation in the lunar exploration program. And many win-win results have been achieved in the previous lunar missions," Ge said. (Xinhua)