CLASSIFIED
SJ-12
Chinese Technology Demonstrator (Proximity Operations) · CAST / Chinese Academy of Sciences
Right now
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Shijian-12 (SJ-12), a Chinese satellite launched in 2010 whose behavior drew significant Western intelligence attention: it performed a deliberate close-proximity rendezvous with the older Shijian-6F satellite, physically bumping it in an apparent inspection or docking test — one of the earliest demonstrated Chinese satellite proximity operations, years before such maneuvers became a recognized strategic concern.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Low Earth Orbitcan appear as a fast-moving star at dawn or dusk
- Altitude
- 318–325 mi (512–523 km)
- Inclination
- 97.8°
- One orbit
- 94.8 minutes15.2 orbits a day
- NORAD ID
- 36596
- Int’l designator
- 2010-027A
- Launched
- 2010
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 23 Sep 2026.