CHINASAT 7

CHINASAT 7 is an active satellite operated by China Satellite Communications (China), launched on 1996-08-18 from Xichang, China. With over 30 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO) at altitudes between 19,871 km and 48,301 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 0.3514 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 19,871 km (perigee) and 48,301 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. 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 1,219 active satellites in total.