TIANSHI 01

TIANSHI 01 is an active satellite operated by China, launched on 2026-03-30 from Jiuquan, 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 586 km and 618 km with an inclination of 85.0°. It travels at approximately 27,218 km/h (7.56 km/s), completing one full orbit every 97 minutes — that’s roughly 14.89 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~10–25 years. Orbital Radar tracks TIANSHI 01 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

TIANSHI 01 orbits at an average altitude of 602 km in the mid-LEO band, where atmospheric drag is minimal but radiation exposure remains manageable. Objects at this altitude persist for decades to centuries, making debris mitigation critical. This regime is popular for remote sensing constellations and scientific instruments that need stable, long-duration orbits. Within ±50 km of TIANSHI 01’s average altitude, there are currently 1,622 active payloads and 670 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 9.3% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 85.0°, TIANSHI 01 passes over latitudes between 85.0°N and 85.0°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 1,219 active satellites in total, of which 174 share a similar altitude band with TIANSHI 01.