JILIN-01 GAOFEN 3E

JILIN-01 GAOFEN 3E is an active satellite operated by Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co. Ltd. (China), launched on 2020-09-15 from YSLA. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 368 km and 385 km with an inclination of 97.2°. It travels at approximately 27,669 km/h (7.69 km/s), completing one full orbit every 92 minutes — that’s roughly 15.64 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 months to ~1 year. Orbital Radar tracks JILIN-01 GAOFEN 3E in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

JILIN-01 GAOFEN 3E orbits at an average altitude of 377 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 JILIN-01 GAOFEN 3E’s average altitude, there are currently 1,336 active payloads and 62 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1008, STARLINK-1012, STARLINK-1020. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 7.7% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.2°, JILIN-01 GAOFEN 3E passes over latitudes between 97.2°N and 97.2°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 35 share a similar altitude band with JILIN-01 GAOFEN 3E.