[stcredzero]

The way they used the L2 point to lasso a relay satellite

So confusing to put it that way. No one has caught anything with a rope or a cable, as far as I know. Basically, they are orbiting a relay satellite around the L2 Lagrange point so that the relay has line of sight with both the landing point and Earth. Obviously, if it just sat at L2, the moon would be in between the relay and the Earth. Orbiting around Lagrange points has been known about for a long time. If you want to cite something more recent and innovative pertaining to Lagrange points, astronomers, rocket scientists, and engineers have been working on fuel saving chaotic trajectories through the Lagrange points.

Arguably, the fact that they are the first to implement the L2 halo does win the Chinese space agency some innovation points.

[jackconnor]

If you read John Varley's Titan series or Neal Stephenson books like Seveneves they regularly call LaGrange points "L2", "L4", etc. I called it a lasso because, if you look at the diagram, it literally looks like a lasso.

[stcredzero]

If you read John Varley's Titan series or Neal Stephenson books like Seveneves they regularly call LaGrange points "L2", "L4", etc.

Never got around to Titan. I really liked Seveneves. I think Sonar Taxlaw is the most perfect woman, next to my wife. Nothing wrong with referring to L2, L4, L5...

I called it a lasso because, if you look at the diagram, it literally looks like a lasso.

Arrgh! That would be like when my grade school teacher called the LEM the "moonwalker" because it looked like it could walk around on the moon.

[turbinerneiter]

Isn't there a solar telescope around sun-earth L1?

[mkl]

Yes, more than one, in fact: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrangian_point#Spacecraft_at...

[FigmentEngine]

actually things can and have been caught. Space tethers have been succesful https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_tether_missions#TSS-1R...

[vidarh]

Yes, but not in this instance.

[stcredzero]

actually things can and have been caught. Space tethers have been succesful

Indeed, so a choice of words that indicates this was going on in this instance is all the more confusing.