DRO L (Distant Retrograde Orbit - LEO) is a test satellites designed by the Microsatellite Innovation Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) to demonstrate relative navigation in cislunar space together with its lunar counterparts DRO A and B.
The DRO project will demonstrat a single-beam differential relative navigation method to solve the relative navigation requirements of Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) satellite formation in cislunar space. The formation of the DRO A and B satellites can be covered by a beam of measurement sent by a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite (DRO L), thus establishing two Satellite-to-Satellite Tracking (SST) links with the LEO satellite at the same time. Then differential measurement data can be obtained by these two SST links. This method can get relative states of the DRO satellite information by combining the differential measurement data and three-body orbital dynamics model.
The satellite was launched in on a .
| Nation: | China |
|---|---|
| Type / Application: | Technology, navigation |
| Operator: | CAS |
| Contractors: | CAS |
| Equipment: | |
| Configuration: | |
| Propulsion: | ? |
| Power: | |
| Lifetime: | |
| Mass: | |
| Orbit: | Lunar retrograde distant orbit (DRO) (planned) |
| Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DRO L (Chuangxin 17-01) | 2024-024 | 03.02.2024 | @YS (Borun Jiuzhou) | Jielong-3 | with NExSat 1, DRO L, Weihai 1-01, 1-02, Xingshidai 18, Xingshidai 19, Xingshidai 20, Yantai 2, Zhixing 2A |
