LKW-3

LKW-3 is an active satellite operated by People's Liberation Army (C41) (China), launched on 2018-01-13 from Jiuquan, China on the LKW-3 launch. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 455 km and 460 km with an inclination of 97.7°. It travels at approximately 27,505 km/h (7.64 km/s), completing one full orbit every 94 minutes — that’s roughly 15.36 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 LKW-3 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

LKW-3 orbits at an average altitude of 458 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 LKW-3’s average altitude, there are currently 9,257 active payloads and 154 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 52% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.7°, LKW-3 passes over latitudes between 97.7°N and 97.7°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 1,246 active satellites in total, of which 146 share a similar altitude band with LKW-3.