According to the WeChat official account of the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, on May 22, 2025, the "TianDu No.1" lunar-Earth communication and navigation technology experimental satellite, led by the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, successfully implemented a critical orbital maneuver at the perigee, accurately transitioning from the Earth-Moon round-trip orbit to the Earth-Moon space 3:1 resonance orbit.
This orbital maneuver marks TianDu No.1 as the first detector to enter the Earth-Moon round-trip 3:1 resonance orbit. Its flight data will provide important support for technical breakthroughs in spacecraft orbit maintenance and control, autonomous navigation, etc., under complex gravitational environments.
Diagram of the Earth-Moon space 3:1 resonance orbit
The Earth-Moon space 3:1 resonance orbit has special orbital mechanics characteristics. During the operation of the detector on this orbit, it completes one orbit resonance with the Moon every three orbits around the Earth. This orbit has the characteristic of periodically traveling back and forth between the Earth and the Moon, and requires low energy consumption to maintain, which is of great significance for future Earth-Moon space development and infrastructure construction.
TianDu No.1 and TianDu No.2 were launched into space together with the Queqiao No.2 relay satellite in March 2024. They have completed multiple in-orbit new technology experiments, and the flight mission was a complete success. In subsequent extended missions, TianDu No.1 will further verify key technologies for constructing an integrated Earth-Moon communication-navigation-remote sensing constellation system.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7509115879414972968/
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