OBJECT A

OBJECT A (NORAD ID 65544) is a space object catalogued under China, launched on 2025-09-06 from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, China on the Yaogan 40-03 launch. As a relatively recent addition to the catalogue, its orbital elements are well-characterised. Independent catalogue analysis identifies this object as Yaogan 40 hao 02 zu 01 xing, attributed to CAST. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 792 km and 814 km with an inclination of 86.0°. It travels at approximately 26,834 km/h (7.45 km/s), completing one full orbit every 101 minutes — that’s roughly 14.27 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. Orbital Radar tracks OBJECT A in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

OBJECT A orbits at an average altitude of 803 km in the upper LEO band, where atmospheric drag is negligible and objects can persist for centuries to millennia. This altitude is used by broadband constellations like OneWeb and by scientific missions requiring stable orbits far from the densest debris bands. Within ±50 km of OBJECT A’s average altitude, there are currently 471 active payloads and 2,483 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include NOAA 20, ONEWEB-0455. With an inclination of 86.0°, OBJECT A passes over latitudes between 86.0°N and 86.0°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 83 share a similar altitude band with OBJECT A.