China has completed its first satellite laser ranging experiment at a distance comparable to that between the Earth and the Moon, according to CGTN, a partner of TV BRICShttps://tvbrics.com/en/news/china-conducts-first-ever-laser-measurement-of-satellite-at-lunar-distance/.
The experiment targeted a satellite in a distant retrograde orbit, a stable orbital path sometimes referred to as a “natural space harbour”. Using a ground-based laser system with a 1.2-metre aperture, researchers precisely measured the distance to the satellite orbiting approximately 350,000 kilometres away, similar to the average Earth-Moon separation.
The satellite involved in the measurement was launched earlier this year but initially failed to reach its intended orbit. Engineers successfully guided it into the correct position following a recovery effort that lasted several months.
This achievement also contributed to the development of a new navigation system designed to allow satellites to operate autonomously in the region between the Earth and the Moon, an area much larger than traditional near-Earth satellite orbits.
The success demonstrates significant progress in space technology and supports ambitions for future missions to the Moon and beyond, the CGTN report stated.
