Beijing, China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization
2. Various of researchers working
3. Animation of DRO-A satellite
4. Picture of 1.2-meter telescope laser ranging system at Yunnan Observatory
5. Animations of satellite

Chinese researchers have successfully conducted the country’s first satellite laser ranging experiment at lunar distances, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization announced on Friday.

The experiment, carried out on Wednesday, measured the distance to the DRO-A satellite, which is in a Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) around the Moon.

The measurement, conducted at a distance of 350,000 kilometers, was made possible by a 1.2-meter telescope laser ranging system on Earth and a single corner-cube retroreflector onboard the satellite.

By optimizing the telescope's pointing accuracy and utilizing advanced ultra-weak signal detection and processing techniques, the ground system successfully captured photons reflected from the satellite's retroreflector.

This technological breakthrough paves the way for high-precision satellite ranging and time-difference measurements within the Earth-Moon system, as well as future applications in deep space.

The DRO-A/B dual-satellite combination was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province on March 13, 2024. The two satellites were successfully separated on August 28, 2024.

Earlier this month, China successfully established the world's first three-satellite constellation based on DRO in the Earth-Moon region of space.