YAOGAN-36 02C

YAOGAN-36 02C is an active satellite operated by Chinese Ministry of National Defense (China), launched on 2022-10-14 from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China on the Yaogan 36 02 launch. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 381 km and 382 km with an inclination of 35.0°. It travels at approximately 27,659 km/h (7.68 km/s), completing one full orbit every 92 minutes — that’s roughly 15.62 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 YAOGAN-36 02C in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

YAOGAN-36 02C orbits at an average altitude of 382 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 YAOGAN-36 02C’s average altitude, there are currently 1,288 active payloads and 64 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ISS (ZARYA), STARLINK-1008, STARLINK-1012. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 6.8% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 35.0°, YAOGAN-36 02C 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 1,340 active satellites in total, of which 34 share a similar altitude band with YAOGAN-36 02C.