YAOGAN-36 01C

YAOGAN-36 01C is an active satellite operated by Chinese Ministry of National Defense (China), launched on 2022-09-26 from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China on the Yaogan 36 01 launch. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 436 km and 442 km with an inclination of 35.0°. It travels at approximately 27,542 km/h (7.65 km/s), completing one full orbit every 93 minutes — that’s roughly 15.42 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 ~1–3 years. Orbital Radar tracks YAOGAN-36 01C in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

YAOGAN-36 01C orbits at an average altitude of 439 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 YAOGAN-36 01C’s average altitude, there are currently 10,433 active payloads and 133 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ISS (ZARYA), STARLINK-1017, STARLINK-1039. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 55% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 35.0°, YAOGAN-36 01C passes over latitudes between 35.0°N and 35.0°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 1,341 active satellites in total, of which 88 share a similar altitude band with YAOGAN-36 01C.