FENGYUN 1A

FENGYUN 1A is an active satellite operated by China Meteorological Administration (China), launched on 1988-09-06 from Taiyuan, China. With over 38 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 872 km and 891 km with an inclination of 99.0°. It travels at approximately 26,689 km/h (7.41 km/s), completing one full orbit every 103 minutes — that’s roughly 14.04 orbits per day. Its near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit means it passes over any given point on Earth at approximately the same local solar time, ideal for consistent Earth observation lighting conditions. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. Orbital Radar tracks FENGYUN 1A in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

FENGYUN 1A orbits at an average altitude of 882 km in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), a specialised subset of LEO where the orbital plane precesses to maintain a constant angle relative to the Sun. This provides consistent lighting conditions on every pass — essential for Earth observation, weather monitoring and environmental science. Within ±50 km of FENGYUN 1A’s average altitude, there are currently 194 active payloads and 1,620 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 99.0°, FENGYUN 1A passes over latitudes between 99.0°N and 99.0°S, providing near-global coverage including the polar regions. Polar and near-polar orbits are used for reconnaissance, weather monitoring and Earth-observation missions that need to image every part of the planet. China operates approximately 1,218 active satellites in total, of which 102 share a similar altitude band with FENGYUN 1A.