GAOFEN-5

GAOFEN-5 is an active satellite operated by China’s Ministry of Land and Resources, Ministry of Environmental Protection, and Ministry of Agriculture (China), launched on 2018-05-08 from Taiyuan, China. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 689 km and 693 km with an inclination of 98.5°. It travels at approximately 27,046 km/h (7.51 km/s), completing one full orbit every 99 minutes — that’s roughly 14.61 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 ~10–25 years. Orbital Radar tracks GAOFEN-5 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

GAOFEN-5 orbits at an average altitude of 691 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 GAOFEN-5’s average altitude, there are currently 291 active payloads and 1,350 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include TERRA, AQUA, LANDSAT 9. With an inclination of 98.5°, GAOFEN-5 passes over latitudes between 98.5°N and 98.5°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 60 share a similar altitude band with GAOFEN-5.