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YAOGAN-30 02B

Chinese ELINT Naval Surveillance (Yaogan-30 Triplet) · CASC / PLA

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Second satellite of the Yaogan-30 group 02 triplet, launched November 24, 2017 into a plane positioned 119° west of the original group 01 formation. This second Yaogan-30 triplet marked the beginning of the program's rapid expansion — rather than building one satellite formation and stopping, China began systematically adding new orbital planes, each populated by an identical three-satellite triangulation group, to build denser and more frequent naval surveillance coverage across the Pacific.

Its orbit

Orbit
Low Earth Orbitcan appear as a fast-moving star at dawn or dusk
Altitude
352–353 mi (567–568 km)
Inclination
35.0°
One orbit
95.9 minutes15.0 orbits a day
NORAD ID
42946
Int’l designator
2017-058B
Launched
2017

Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.

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