CLASSIFIED
SHIJIAN-15 (SJ-15)
Technology Demonstrator (Robotic Arm / Proximity Operations) · CASC / Chinese Academy of Sciences
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Shijian-15, a Chinese technology demonstration satellite launched in 2013, notable for carrying a robotic arm used to test satellite servicing and rendezvous capabilities in orbit — technology with clear civilian satellite-repair applications and equally clear military anti-satellite implications, since a robotic arm capable of grappling a malfunctioning satellite for repair is functionally similar to one capable of disabling an adversary's satellite. Western analysts have closely tracked Shijian-15's maneuvers as an early indicator of China's evolving proximity operations capability.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Low Earth Orbitcan appear as a fast-moving star at dawn or dusk
- Altitude
- 408–413 mi (656–664 km)
- Inclination
- 98.1°
- One orbit
- 97.8 minutes14.7 orbits a day
- NORAD ID
- 39210
- Int’l designator
- 2013-037C
- Launched
- 2013
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 23 Sep 2026.
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