CHINASAT 7

CHINASAT 7 is an active satellite operated by Chinasat (China), launched on 1996-08-18 from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China on the Zhongxing 7 launch. With over 30 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO) at altitudes between 19,926 km and 48,247 km with an inclination of 16.6°. It travels at approximately 11,300 km/h (3.14 km/s), completing one full orbit every 22 hours 30 minutes — that’s roughly 1.07 orbits per day. Its orbital eccentricity of 0.3500 gives it a noticeably elliptical path, with significant altitude variation between perigee and apogee. Orbital Radar tracks CHINASAT 7 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

CHINASAT 7 follows a Highly Elliptical Orbit, sweeping between 19,926 km (perigee) and 48,247 km (apogee). It spends most of its 22 hours 30 minutes orbital period near apogee, effectively loitering over a region of interest before rapidly sweeping through perigee — a profile used for high-latitude communications (Molniya orbits), early-warning systems and magnetospheric science. Within ±50 km of CHINASAT 7’s average altitude, there are currently 2 active payloads and 1 tracked debris or rocket body fragment. This is a relatively sparse altitude band, containing less than 1% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 16.6°, CHINASAT 7 passes over latitudes between 16.6°N and 16.6°S, concentrating coverage over equatorial and near-equatorial regions. Low-inclination orbits maximise revisit rates over specific tropical zones. China operates approximately 1,341 active satellites in total.