Science
TIANHUI 2-01A
Chinese Military SAR/Optical Stereo Mapping (Paired) · CAST / PLA Navigation and Survey Bureau
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.
- Over
- —
- Altitude
- —
- Speed
- —
Lead satellite of the first Tianhui-2 pair, representing an upgrade from the Tianhui-1 stereo mapping series. Tianhui-2 satellites are believed to add synthetic aperture radar capability alongside optical stereo imaging, enabling all-weather terrain mapping regardless of cloud cover — critical for consistently updating China's topographic and elevation databases across regions with persistent monsoon or winter cloud cover that would leave optical-only satellites blind for months at a time.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Low Earth Orbitcan appear as a fast-moving star at dawn or dusk
- Altitude
- 322–324 mi (519–521 km)
- Inclination
- 97.5°
- One orbit
- 94.9 minutes15.2 orbits a day
- NORAD ID
- 44207
- Int’l designator
- 2019-024A
- Launched
- 2019
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.
More science
- TIANHUI 2-01BChinese Military SAR/Optical Stereo Mapping (Paired)
- TIANHUI 2-02AChinese Military SAR/Optical Stereo Mapping (Paired)
- TIANHUI 2-02BChinese Military SAR/Optical Stereo Mapping (Paired)
- TIANHUI 4AChinese Military Stereo Mapping Satellite
- TIANHUI 4BChinese Military Earth Observation (Unconfirmed Mission)
- TIANHUI 5AChinese Military Stereo Mapping Satellite