Who controls space? Chinese laser that can shoot down satellites now operational
From a ground station in Yunnan province, a group of Chinese scientists have been able to hit the Tiandu-1 satellite with millimetre-accurate precision using an infrared laser.
A group of Chinese scientists have been able to hit a satellite with millimetre-accurate precision using an infrared laser.
The experiment was developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), which has long been working on new space positioning technologies.
The ultimate goal is to ensure that future missions - manned or unmanned - between the Earth and the Moon can move reliably in that environment without relying exclusively on ground-based GPS.
To achieve this, the researchers used a 1.2-metre-diameter telescope fitted with an enhanced near-infrared laser system. The Tiandu-1 satellite, which is part of a technology demonstration programme launched into space last March, was fitted with a retroreflector, a specialised mirror to return the beam in exactly the same direction from which it was emitted.
As the Chinese Academy of Sciences explained to IFL Science, the achievement is comparable to ‘hitting a single hair from 10,000 metres’.
A Chinese communication and navigation technology test satellite, known as the Tiandu-1, has recently conducted a laser ranging technology test in the Earth-Moon space under strong daylight interference conditions, marking a world first, according to the satellite's developer,… pic.twitter.com/NpLXPxAcmz
— CCTV+ (@CCTV_Plus) April 30, 2025
The new lunar race underway
The mission was not just a simple exercise in aiming. Tiandu-1 is one of two satellites that China launched in March 2024 as part of its ambitious plan to build a communications network between our planet and the Moon. It is accompanied by Tiandu-2, and together they form the first step towards a future constellation of satellites intended to support the International Lunar Research Station, a Chinese-led project with international participation.
Although NASA has already developed similar optical systems, it has not yet been possible to overcome sunlight interference in a stable way. The possibility of daytime measurements opens a new window for such operations, which until now had to be limited to nighttime to avoid optical noise.
Tiandu-1 satellite achieved a groundbreaking daytime laser ranging test in Earth-Moon space, a significant milestone in deep space precision measurement. Full HD:https://t.co/c7yvTjbi4O pic.twitter.com/aC4qPi6122
— CNSA Watcher (@CNSAWatcher) April 29, 2025
This breakthrough expands the opportunities for precision navigation and lays the foundation for safer, more frequent and more efficient missions.
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