YAOGAN 26

YAOGAN 26 is an active satellite operated by Chinese Ministry of National Defense (China), launched on 2014-12-27 from Taiyuan, China. After 12 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 420 km and 428 km with an inclination of 97.1°. It travels at approximately 27,573 km/h (7.66 km/s), completing one full orbit every 93 minutes — that’s roughly 15.47 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. Its near-circular orbit (eccentricity close to zero) means it maintains a very consistent altitude throughout each revolution. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~1–3 years. Orbital Radar tracks YAOGAN 26 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

YAOGAN 26 orbits at an average altitude of 424 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 YAOGAN 26’s average altitude, there are currently 3,338 active payloads and 138 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1008, STARLINK-1012, STARLINK-1017. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 19.1% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.1°, YAOGAN 26 passes over latitudes between 97.1°N and 97.1°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 1,218 active satellites in total, of which 64 share a similar altitude band with YAOGAN 26.