YUNYAO-1 18

YUNYAO-1 18 is an active satellite operated by China, launched on 2024-01-11 from YSLA on the Yunyao-1 18-20 launch. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 489 km and 495 km with an inclination of 50.0°. It travels at approximately 27,436 km/h (7.62 km/s), completing one full orbit every 94 minutes — that’s roughly 15.25 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 YUNYAO-1 18 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

YUNYAO-1 18 orbits at an average altitude of 492 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 YUNYAO-1 18’s average altitude, there are currently 9,650 active payloads and 217 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1017, STARLINK-1039, STARLINK-1047. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 54.1% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 50.0°, YUNYAO-1 18 passes over latitudes between 50.0°N and 50.0°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. China operates approximately 1,247 active satellites in total, of which 188 share a similar altitude band with YUNYAO-1 18.