YAOGAN 15

YAOGAN 15 is an active satellite operated by Chinese Ministry of National Defense (China), launched on 2012-05-29 from Taiyuan, China. After 14 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 1,172 km and 1,210 km with an inclination of 100.7°. It travels at approximately 26,137 km/h (7.26 km/s), completing one full orbit every 109 minutes — that’s roughly 13.18 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~500–1,000 years. Orbital Radar tracks YAOGAN 15 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

YAOGAN 15 orbits at an average altitude of 1,191 km in the upper LEO band, where atmospheric drag is negligible and objects can persist for centuries to millennia. This altitude is used by broadband constellations like OneWeb and by scientific missions requiring stable orbits far from the densest debris bands. Within ±50 km of YAOGAN 15’s average altitude, there are currently 840 active payloads and 219 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0012, ONEWEB-0010, ONEWEB-0008. With an inclination of 100.7°, YAOGAN 15 passes over latitudes between 100.7°N and 100.7°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 174 share a similar altitude band with YAOGAN 15.