Overview

• A Yuanzheng-1S upper stage failure on March 15 left two satellites damaged, spinning, and stranded in low Earth orbit.
• Over 123 days, engineers executed complex gravitational slingshot maneuvers using Earth, Moon, and Sun gravity to reposition the satellites into their intended orbit.
• The rescued satellites, DRO-A and DRO-B, joined the earlier DRO-L spacecraft to complete the first Earth-Moon distant retrograde orbit (DRO) navigation constellation.
• This constellation reduces spacecraft location times from two to three days to just three hours, showcasing low-fuel autonomous piloting capabilities.
• The mission supports China's plans for crewed lunar landings by 2030 and the development of an International Lunar Research Station.