Land Exploration

China launched the world's first geosynchronous orbit radar satellite Land Exploration-4 01 on Aug. 13. The L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite will provide all-day, all-weather observation of China and surrounding areas, boosting the country's disaster prevention, reduction, and relief capabilities.

The high-performance metallic damping components on the satellite were made of twin type damping alloy, developed by scientists from Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS), Chinese academy of sciences (CAS).

This is the third time these components have gone into space to aid scientific research, following the "Gaofen-7" and "Ziyuan1-02E" satellites.

Based on the twin-boundary relaxation damping theory, the researchers developed high damping materials to overcome the challenges posed by low-frequency micro-vibrations on the high-precision orbital accelerometer of Land Exploration-4 01. These materials combined the hardness and rigidity of metal with rubber-like energy absorption capabilities, providing excellent damping characteristics.

In collaboration with the China Academy of Spacecraft Technology (CAST), they prepared metallic damping components using these high damping materials. These components effectively isolated and absorbed more than 99% of low-frequency micro-vibration energy, enabling precise detection of the satellite.