TIANYAN 23

TIANYAN 23 is an active satellite operated by Tianlian Cekong / Zuizhong Qianyan (China), launched on 2025-03-15 from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China on the Superview 3-02 launch. As a relatively recent addition to the catalogue, its orbital elements are well-characterised. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 399 km and 407 km with an inclination of 97.5°. It travels at approximately 27,615 km/h (7.67 km/s), completing one full orbit every 93 minutes — that’s roughly 15.55 orbits per day. Its near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit means it passes over any given point on Earth at approximately the same local solar time, ideal for consistent Earth observation lighting conditions. 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 TIANYAN 23 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

TIANYAN 23 orbits at an average altitude of 403 km in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), a specialised subset of LEO where the orbital plane precesses to maintain a constant angle relative to the Sun. This provides consistent lighting conditions on every pass — essential for Earth observation, weather monitoring and environmental science. Within ±50 km of TIANYAN 23’s average altitude, there are currently 1,349 active payloads and 91 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 7.2% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.5°, TIANYAN 23 passes over latitudes between 97.5°N and 97.5°S, providing near-global coverage including the polar regions. Polar and near-polar orbits are used for reconnaissance, weather monitoring and Earth-observation missions that need to image every part of the planet. China operates approximately 1,288 active satellites in total, of which 45 share a similar altitude band with TIANYAN 23.