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China Completes First High-Orbit Satellite Refuelling Test
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Story summary
- China performed room-temperature propellant refuelling of a high-orbit BeiDou satellite.
- The operation is the first known satellite-to-satellite refuelling in high Earth orbit.
- The test was reported by Chinese researchers in a peer-reviewed paper for the Journal of Deep Space Exploration.
- The researchers belong to the state-funded Deep Space Exploration Laboratory.
- They said the test gave valuable experience and highlighted ultra-low-temperature propellant transfer for improved spacecraft performance.