Based on the characteristics of laser transmission in atmosphere, the slanting transmission model is used to calibrate the attenuation of laser transmitting in aerosol. According to the laser radar ranging equation, we establish the model of slanting transmission maximum detection range (MDR) of satellite laser ranging (SLR) system. By analyzing the numerical simulation results and the measured values of the MDR of the SLR system in Changchun station, we systematically research the maximum transmission distance of the SLR system. The investigated results indicate the MDR increases along with the elevation of transmitter telescope in a certain range. Compared with other common models, including Kim empirical formula and Mie theory, the MDR calibrated by slanting transmission MDR model is closer to the experimental results, and the relative error is decreased by one order of magnitude, which is only 3.8%. The result suggests the slanting transmission MDR model is much more suitable for calculating the MDR of the SLR system.