Science
JILIN-1
Chinese Commercial High-Resolution Imaging (Founding Satellite) · Chang Guang Satellite Technology (CGSTL)
Right now
LiveIt moves every second. See exactly where it is — worked out from its orbit, on your own device — on the live 3D globe.
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The satellite that started it all — Jilin-1 Guangxue-A (Optical-A), launched October 7, 2015 as part of the inaugural four-satellite mission that founded China's first commercial remote sensing constellation. Named after Jilin Province where operator Chang Guang Satellite Technology (CGSTL) is headquartered, this satellite carries a 0.72-meter panchromatic camera and 4-meter multispectral imager. What began as four satellites has grown into the largest commercial satellite constellation in Chinese history — 130+ spacecraft by 2023, with plans for 300, redefining China's entire commercial space sector in under a decade.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Low Earth Orbitcan appear as a fast-moving star at dawn or dusk
- Altitude
- 390–404 mi (628–650 km)
- Inclination
- 97.7°
- One orbit
- 97.3 minutes14.8 orbits a day
- NORAD ID
- 40961
- Int’l designator
- 2015-057D
- Launched
- 2015
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.
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