CSS (WENTIAN)

CSS (WENTIAN) is an active satellite operated by China, launched on 2022-07-24 from Wenchang, China. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 380 km and 390 km with an inclination of 41.5°. It travels at approximately 27,652 km/h (7.68 km/s), completing one full orbit every 92 minutes — that’s roughly 15.61 orbits per day. 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 months to ~1 year. Orbital Radar tracks CSS (WENTIAN) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

CSS (WENTIAN) orbits at an average altitude of 385 km in the lower reaches of Low Earth Orbit, where atmospheric drag is significant and orbital lifetimes are measured in months to a few years. This is the busiest corridor in space — home to crewed spacecraft, rapid-revisit imaging satellites and the densest part of the Starlink constellation. Within ±50 km of CSS (WENTIAN)’s average altitude, there are currently 1,293 active payloads and 65 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 41.5°, CSS (WENTIAN) passes over latitudes between 41.5°N and 41.5°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 1,218 active satellites in total, of which 37 share a similar altitude band with CSS (WENTIAN).