YAOGAN 42-01

YAOGAN 42-01 is an active satellite operated by PLA Strategic Support Force (China), launched on 2024-04-02 from Xichang, China. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 494 km and 500 km with an inclination of 35.0°. It travels at approximately 27,426 km/h (7.62 km/s), completing one full orbit every 95 minutes — that’s roughly 15.23 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 42-01 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

YAOGAN 42-01 orbits at an average altitude of 497 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 42-01’s average altitude, there are currently 9,164 active payloads and 239 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 52.6% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 35.0°, YAOGAN 42-01 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 1,218 active satellites in total, of which 192 share a similar altitude band with YAOGAN 42-01.