SHIYAN 30-04

SHIYAN 30-04 is an active satellite operated by China, launched on 2026-03-12 from Xichang, China. As a relatively recent addition to the catalogue, its orbital elements are well-characterised. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 590 km and 594 km with an inclination of 35.0°. It travels at approximately 27,238 km/h (7.57 km/s), completing one full orbit every 97 minutes — that’s roughly 14.92 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 ~3–10 years. Orbital Radar tracks SHIYAN 30-04 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

SHIYAN 30-04 orbits at an average altitude of 592 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 SHIYAN 30-04’s average altitude, there are currently 2,123 active payloads and 611 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0050, STARLINK-3005, STARLINK-3090. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 12.2% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 35.0°, SHIYAN 30-04 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 1,219 active satellites in total, of which 179 share a similar altitude band with SHIYAN 30-04.