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BEIDOU-3 M6

Chinese Navigation Satellite (BeiDou-3) · CNSA / China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

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BeiDou-3 M6, launched alongside BeiDou-3 M5 in 2018, continues the constellation's rapid expansion toward full global coverage — part of a deployment pace so aggressive that China launched more navigation satellites in 2018 alone than most nations have ever launched in their entire satellite navigation program history. China deliberately overlapped its BeiDou-2 regional and BeiDou-3 global launches for several years, running both systems in parallel so that Asia-Pacific coverage never had a gap while the newer global constellation was still being completed.

Its orbit

Orbit
Medium Earth Orbita high vantage point, ideal for navigation
Altitude
13,370–13,393 mi (21,517–21,554 km)
Inclination
54.1°
One orbit
12.9 hours1.9 orbits a day
NORAD ID
43582
Int’l designator
2018-062B
Launched
2018

Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 21 Sep 2026.

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