CHUANG XIN 16A (CX-16A)

CHUANG XIN 16A (CX-16A) is an active satellite operated by Chinese Academy of Sciences (China), launched on 2022-08-23 from Xichang, China. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 545 km and 552 km with an inclination of 29.0°. It travels at approximately 27,323 km/h (7.59 km/s), completing one full orbit every 96 minutes — that’s roughly 15.06 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 ~3–10 years. Orbital Radar tracks CHUANG XIN 16A (CX-16A) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

CHUANG XIN 16A (CX-16A) orbits at an average altitude of 549 km in the core of Low Earth Orbit, the most heavily utilised altitude band. The balance of moderate drag (limiting debris accumulation) and short signal path (enabling low-latency links and high-resolution imaging) makes this regime the default for most commercial and government missions. Within ±50 km of CHUANG XIN 16A (CX-16A)’s average altitude, there are currently 3,461 active payloads and 359 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1184, STARLINK-1276, ONEWEB-0050. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 19.9% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 29.0°, CHUANG XIN 16A (CX-16A) passes over latitudes between 29.0°N and 29.0°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 1,219 active satellites in total, of which 163 share a similar altitude band with CHUANG XIN 16A (CX-16A).