Orbital Traffic All objects

Navigation

BEIDOU-2 M6

Chinese Navigation Satellite (BeiDou-2, Regional) · CNSA / China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

Right now

It moves every second. See exactly where it is — worked out from its orbit, on your own device — on the live 3D globe.

Watch it live on the 3D globe

BeiDou-2 M6, launched in 2012, completed the regional BeiDou-2 constellation's core coverage of the Asia-Pacific region. Unlike GPS, GLONASS, or Galileo, BeiDou uniquely combines satellites in three different orbital regimes simultaneously — medium Earth orbit, geostationary orbit, and inclined geosynchronous orbit — a hybrid architecture specifically chosen to guarantee especially strong signal coverage over China and its immediate strategic periphery.

Its orbit

Orbit
Medium Earth Orbita high vantage point, ideal for navigation
Altitude
13,363–13,400 mi (21,505–21,565 km)
Inclination
56.6°
One orbit
12.9 hours1.9 orbits a day
NORAD ID
38775
Int’l designator
2012-050B
Launched
2012

Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 21 Sep 2026.

More navigation