FENGYUN 1B

FENGYUN 1B is an active satellite operated by China Meteorological Administration (China), launched on 1990-09-03 from Taiyuan, China. With over 36 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 872 km and 894 km with an inclination of 99.0°. It travels at approximately 26,686 km/h (7.41 km/s), completing one full orbit every 103 minutes — that’s roughly 14.03 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 1B in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

FENGYUN 1B orbits at an average altitude of 883 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 1B’s average altitude, there are currently 210 active payloads and 1,591 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 99.0°, FENGYUN 1B 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 1,219 active satellites in total, of which 119 share a similar altitude band with FENGYUN 1B.