YAOGAN 28

YAOGAN 28 is an active satellite operated by Chinese Ministry of National Defense (China), launched on 2015-11-08 from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, China on the YG-28 launch. After 11 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 471 km and 487 km with an inclination of 97.3°. It travels at approximately 27,462 km/h (7.63 km/s), completing one full orbit every 94 minutes — that’s roughly 15.29 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 ~1–3 years. Orbital Radar tracks YAOGAN 28 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

YAOGAN 28 orbits at an average altitude of 479 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 28’s average altitude, there are currently 10,757 active payloads and 199 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1017, STARLINK-1039, STARLINK-1047. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 56.8% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.3°, YAOGAN 28 passes over latitudes between 97.3°N and 97.3°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 1,341 active satellites in total, of which 187 share a similar altitude band with YAOGAN 28.