Two Chinese spacecraft appear to have successfully entered lunar orbit despite an initial launch problem that left them in low Earth orbit. A slide attributed to the Space Utilization Technology and Technical Center (CSU) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), recently posted on the social networking platform Tieba Baidu, shows the DRO-A and DRO-B spacecraft successfully entering long-distance, retrograde orbits around the Moon. The DRO missions are part of a pilot project conducted by the CAS.

“[DRO] “Satellites A, B and L are powered on and operating stably in orbit, their operational status is normal,” the slide reads.

The mission is not critical to China’s immediate lunar plans, but the successful recovery, if confirmed, would strengthen the country’s deep space capabilities and demonstrate its resilience to overcome challenges in orbit. China has yet to provide an update on the mission after briefly reporting the anomalous launch in March.

DRO satellites are technology-testing spacecraft and orbiters that could play a role in China’s broader lunar goals, including building lunar navigation and communications infrastructure to support lunar exploration.

Rescue operation

The DRO-A and B satellites were launched on March 13 and are designed to enter a very retrograde orbit. DROs are geostationary orbits in which the spacecraft orbits the Moon, in the opposite direction of the Moon’s rotation, and at relatively long distances. The pair were intended to communicate with another satellite, called DRO-L, in low Earth orbit (LEO). DRO-L was launched in February. The three-satellite system is designed to test high-precision relative navigation technology.

However, Xinhua reported after the launch that DRO-A and B were not correctly launched into the intended orbit by the Long March 2C mission rocket. This is due to the upper stage anomaly of Yuanzheng-1S. After this brief statement, China has not yet released any official information about the mission. However, the US space situational awareness has made it clear.

Data from the U.S. Space Force’s 18th Space Defense Squadron (18 SDS) initially confirmed the presence of an object associated with the launch in low Earth orbit (LEO). Later data revealed that operators attempted to salvage the mission by using the spacecraft’s engine to raise its orbit.

The 18 SDS then tracked the spacecraft in a highly elliptical Earth orbit measuring 525×132,577 kilometers. It was later discovered on March 26 in an orbit measuring 971×225,193 km. The DSB data for the 18 object has not been updated since March. However, this may support the idea that the DRO-A and B spacecraft changed orbits and left the highly elliptical, high Earth orbit and reached a translunar orbit. The 18 Tracking SDS focuses on orbits much closer to the Earth. The spacecraft probably separated at some point after entering the translunar orbit.

Missing the precisely timed window for TLI when the booster stage failed could have identified a new opportunity to reach lunar orbit. This would depend on their new orbit, the moon’s position, and other factors.

However, inadvertent use of spacecraft fuel to raise orbit to reach the Moon would impact the amount of fuel available for the planned mission duration and objectives. The slide includes a diagram of a future spacecraft in low lunar orbit. This could focus on exploring the Earth-Moon orbital environment, autonomous flight, and innovative scientific experiments and technology testing.

Half moon transparency

The revival of the DRO-A/B mission raises the issue of openness as countries increase their interest in and operations around the Moon.

“In my view, there should be greater transparency regarding launches beyond Earth orbit, including orbital data, in accordance with the UN Registration Convention and UN Resolution 1721B,” he said. Space News Jonathan McDowell is a cosmic activity researcher and astrophysicist.

This resolution was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1961. It believes that the United Nations should be the center of international cooperation in peace research. It calls on “States launching objects into or beyond orbit to report immediately to the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space through the Secretary-General so that the launches can be recorded.”

Both China and the United States are leading various multinational efforts to establish a permanent presence on the Moon: the International Lunar Reconnaissance Station (ILRS) and the Artemis program, respectively.

Five missions to the Moon have been launched in 2024 alone. These are Peregrine Mission One, IM-1 Intuitive Machines, DRO-A/B, Queqiao-2, and Chang’e-6. The last three are all Chinese missions. Japan’s SLIM lander also touched down on the Moon in January. Additional commercial missions from the US and Japan could begin before the end of the year.

“Increased activity in deep space requires better situational awareness and international governance,” McDowell added.