The first laser in the world was the ruby laser, which was first developed by American Hughes Aircraft Company scientist Mayman in 1960. The US military soon carried out research on military laser devices on this basis. In 1961, the first military laser rangefinder passed the demonstration test of the United States military, and the laser rangefinder soon entered the practical stage.

When the emitted laser beam power is sufficient, the measuring range can reach about 40 kilometers or even more, and the laser rangefinder can work day and night, but when there is a material with high laser absorption rate in space, its ranging distance and accuracy will decline. The laser rangefinder can also be used to track and range the satellite, measure the flight height of the aircraft, aim and range the target, and conduct topographic mapping and survey.