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Relay satellites ensure seamless Earth-Moon communications for Chang'e-6 mission

China

China

China

Relay satellites ensure seamless Earth-Moon communications for Chang'e-6 mission

2024-05-04 22:29 Last Updated At:23:07

Following the successful launch of China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe on Friday, aimed at exploring the far side of the moon, the relay satellites in orbit have commenced their communication services to facilitate data transmission between the Chang'e-4 and Chang'e-6 spacecraft and the Earth.

This is China's second mission to the Moon's far side, after Chang'e-4, the first to visit the Moon’s far side in 2019.

Compared with flying to the relatively flat near side of the moon to sample, it is much more difficult for Chang'e-6 to go to the far side of the moon. The communications is the first and foremost problem that needs to be solved.

China launched the relay satellite Queqiao-2, or magpie bridge-2 in March 20, which has completed the communication test with the moon's far side-based Chang'e-4 and the ground-based Chang'e-6 at that time.

For the Chang'e-6's landing on the far side of the moon, Queqiao-2 played a vital role.

"The main difficulty in landing on the moon's far side is that the terrain on the far side is actually more rugged. So we need to do a terrain identification to choose a better area for it to land on the moon. It needs the support of a relay satellite on the far side, so we designed the entire communication system. With the support of relay satellite Queqiao-2, we will then implement our sampling and packing mission on the far side of the moon," said Lu Yuntong, an engineer of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

Queqiao-2 is now in a large elliptical orbit around the moon, which can ensure better data transmission efficiency and long-term effective communication with the probe on the far side of the moon.

In order to make communication smoother, engineers also installed a special antenna on Chang'e-6.

"The position of Queqiao-2 relative to our lander is actually changing all the time, unlike the lander on the near side where it was facing the Earth. So in order to adapt to such a wide range of pointing requirements for relay satellites, we added a directional antenna on Chang'e-6. At the same time, our two directional antennas are designed with autonomous tracking functions, which can be well aligned with our relay satellites at all times and better adapt to the communication conditions on the far side of the moon," said Lu.

Meanwhile on the ground, engineers of the Tianlian relay satellites system continued to work to ensure that the probe to reach its destination smoothly.

Two relay satellites in the Tianlian system will also offer communication services for part of Chang'e-6 mission, except for the missions of spacecraft's entering the elliptical orbit around the Moon, probe's landing on the far side of the moon and the lander's ascending, which are supported by the Queqiao-2.

The system can take advantage of its capability in tracking for a long time, wide coverage, and high transmission rate to continuously and stably connect with the ground control center forming a two-way data transmission link, transmitting back spacecraft's telemetering data in real time, and ensuring that Chang'e-6 probe safely arrives at its destination.

Relay satellites ensure seamless Earth-Moon communications for Chang'e-6 mission

Relay satellites ensure seamless Earth-Moon communications for Chang'e-6 mission

Relay satellites ensure seamless Earth-Moon communications for Chang'e-6 mission

Relay satellites ensure seamless Earth-Moon communications for Chang'e-6 mission

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Climate change hits Italy's beekeeping industry hard

2024-11-25 13:09 Last Updated At:13:37

As the globe gets warmer, Italy's beekeeping industry faces severe impacts from climate change, leading to a decline in honey harvests.

Piedmont, a major honey-producing region in northwest Italy, has more than 400 apiaries.

A veteran beekeeper Massimo Carpinteri, who has been in the industry for nearly 50 years, said that unusual weather this year has drastically reduced honey production, resulting in the average honey yield per hive this spring only 3.7 kilograms, roughly one-sixth of the usual amount. "The seasons are a bit reversed. Winter is warmer. But when April arrives, it begins to freeze, it begins to rain, it starts to get cold. And this year the rain and the cold weather lasted from early May to mid-June. So it is a very bad year for honey production," said Carpinteri.

Carpinteri also said that extreme weather conditions have become more frequent since 2011, affecting plant growth cycles and threatening bee populations.

"When it is cold and the weather is bad, the bee queens would lay fewer eggs, and the bee families would get smaller. Therefore, there would be fewer bees that go out to collect pollen to make honey. Sometimes, they would even stop laying eggs," said Carpinteri.

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the global average surface temperature from January to September this year was about 1.54 degrees Celcuis higher than the pre-industrial average, making 2024 probably the hottest year on record.

Extreme weather conditions also damage bee plants, leading to the decline of flowers. As a result, some beekeepers have to resort to artificial feeding to sustain their hives, while others have to relocate in search of bee plants. All cause costs and uncertainty increase.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 91 out of the 107 major crops vital to human beings rely on bees for pollination. Without bees, about 40,000 plants will face difficulties in reproduction and potential extinction.

Climate change poses significant threats to bees and other pollinating insects, according to Simone Tosi, an assistant professor at the Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences of the University of Turin.

"Undoubtedly, the biggest impact of climate change on pollinators is the rise of temperature or the change in temperatures, because it will cause the plant community to change. On the other hand, pollinators are closely linked to the climate of the environment and the weather. If these factors change dramatically, it will certainly impact their ability to survive and behave in a certain environment," said Tosi.

Climate change hits Italy's beekeeping industry hard

Climate change hits Italy's beekeeping industry hard

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