FENGYUN 1C

FENGYUN 1C is an active satellite operated by China Meteorological Administration (China), launched on 1999-05-10 from Taiyuan, China. With over 27 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 795 km and 809 km with an inclination of 98.9°. It travels at approximately 26,836 km/h (7.45 km/s), completing one full orbit every 101 minutes — that’s roughly 14.27 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 1C in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

FENGYUN 1C orbits at an average altitude of 802 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 1C’s average altitude, there are currently 440 active payloads and 2,287 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include NOAA 20, ONEWEB-0179, ONEWEB-0455. With an inclination of 98.9°, FENGYUN 1C passes over latitudes between 98.9°N and 98.9°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 101 share a similar altitude band with FENGYUN 1C.