China has taken a step toward colonizing the Moon and Mars by creating a satellite navigation and communications network

China has completed the deployment of a satellite navigation and communication network in space from Earth to the far orbit around the Moon. This means that safe and accurate movement of spacecraft can be ensured within the vast space around the Earth and the Moon, and navigation on the surface of the Moon will also become possible. This capability opens the way for the first practical steps towards colonizing the Moon and Mars, which is difficult to overestimate.

The Long March 2C rocket before launch. Image source: Xinhua

Cislunar — the space between the Earth and the Moon, including their orbits — is expected to become the busiest place in the Solar System in the coming decades. For civil and military operations in this space, both new rocket engines are being created that should allow for rapid orbit changes and provide long-term acceleration without regard for limited fuel reserves, as well as their own communication and navigation system. And while the engines are not all that simple, navigation and communication are already working, albeit in a limited mode.

China’s satellite network of “sys-lunar” navigation and communication relies on three satellites: DRO-L, DRO-B and DRO-A. The abbreviation DRO stands for “long-range retrograde orbit” around the Moon, which allows satellites to move while saving fuel. The DRO-B and DRO-A satellites are 310,000 to 450,000 km away from Earth. The DRO-L satellite is launched into a near-Earth polar orbit at an altitude of 500 km. All three satellites form a triangle, relying on the signals from which (and the atomic clocks on each satellite) it is possible to navigate in a huge space.

It should be noted that the launch of the DRO-B and DRO-A satellites into space was accompanied by an accident. The booster stage of the Long March 2C rocket failed and was unable to deliver the devices to the specified trajectory. Moreover, after separation, both satellites began to rotate uncontrollably at a frequency of 1.8 rpm. The centrifugal force almost destroyed the solar panels, bending them at unthinkable angles.

To the credit of the Chinese specialists, they managed to stabilize the satellites’ flight within the first day. Both devices reached their target orbits using orbit correction engines. To save fuel, each engine launch was calculated taking into account the gravitational impulse from the Moon. The satellites, launched in March 2024, took five months to reach their destination and did so by the end of August.

Recently, Chinese media reported that the lunar space communication and navigation system has begun its work. Now, for precise navigation, the satellites only need two hours of signal exchange, whereas previously it took two days with the involvement of earthly observers.

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