GAOFEN DUOMO (GFDM)

GAOFEN DUOMO (GFDM) is an active satellite operated by China's Ministry of Land and Resources, Ministry of Environmental Protection, and Ministry of Agriculture (China), launched on 2020-07-03 from Taiyuan, China. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 630 km and 648 km with an inclination of 97.8°. It travels at approximately 27,146 km/h (7.54 km/s), completing one full orbit every 98 minutes — that’s roughly 14.77 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 ~10–25 years. Orbital Radar tracks GAOFEN DUOMO (GFDM) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

GAOFEN DUOMO (GFDM) orbits at an average altitude of 639 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 DUOMO (GFDM)’s average altitude, there are currently 755 active payloads and 921 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include AQUA, ONEWEB-0050. With an inclination of 97.8°, GAOFEN DUOMO (GFDM) passes over latitudes between 97.8°N and 97.8°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 1,219 active satellites in total, of which 157 share a similar altitude band with GAOFEN DUOMO (GFDM).