CHINASAT 18

CHINASAT 18 is an active satellite operated by PLA SSF (China), launched on 2019-08-19 from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China on the Zhongxing-18 launch. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 163 km and 21,709 km with an inclination of 28.5°. It travels at approximately 17,277 km/h (4.80 km/s), completing one full orbit every 6 hours 18 minutes — that’s roughly 3.81 orbits per day. Its orbital eccentricity of 0.6225 gives it a noticeably elliptical path, with significant altitude variation between perigee and apogee. Orbital Radar tracks CHINASAT 18 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

CHINASAT 18 orbits at an average altitude of 10,936 km in Medium Earth Orbit, the region between LEO and GEO (2,000–35,786 km). MEO’s higher altitude gives each satellite a much larger ground footprint than LEO, meaning fewer spacecraft are needed for global coverage — but signal latency is higher and radiation from the Van Allen belts is a significant design constraint. Within ±50 km of CHINASAT 18’s average altitude, there are currently 1 active payload and 4 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. This is a relatively sparse altitude band, containing less than 1% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 28.5°, CHINASAT 18 passes over latitudes between 28.5°N and 28.5°S, covering the tropical and temperate zones where most of the world’s population resides. Low-to-mid inclination orbits are efficient to reach from equatorial and mid-latitude launch sites. China operates approximately 1,275 active satellites in total.