Fundamentals of the orbit and response for TianQin

Understand

TianQin is a space-based laser interferometric gravitational wave detector aimed at detecting gravitational waves at low frequencies (0.1 mHz -- 1 Hz).

• It is formed by three identical drag-free spacecrafts in an equilateral triangular constellation orbiting around the Earth.
• The distance between each pair of spacecrafts is approximately $1.7 \times 10^{5} ~\rm{km}$.
• The spacecrafts are interconnected by infrared laser beams forming up to three Michelson-type interferometers.