JILIN-01 GAOFEN 3F

JILIN-01 GAOFEN 3F 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 375 km and 394 km with an inclination of 97.2°. It travels at approximately 27,653 km/h (7.68 km/s), completing one full orbit every 92 minutes — that’s roughly 15.61 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. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is months to ~1 year. Orbital Radar tracks JILIN-01 GAOFEN 3F 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 3F orbits at an average altitude of 385 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 3F’s average altitude, there are currently 1,286 active payloads and 60 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 7.4% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.2°, JILIN-01 GAOFEN 3F 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 1,219 active satellites in total, of which 37 share a similar altitude band with JILIN-01 GAOFEN 3F.