Science
YUNHAI-1 02
Chinese Meteorological Satellite (Survived Debris Collision) · SAST / Chinese Military (Assessed)
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The second Yunhai-1 meteorological satellite — and the protagonist of one of the more dramatic in-orbit survival stories in recent spaceflight. In March 2021, Yunhai-1 02 suffered an apparent collision with a small fragment of debris from a 1996 Russian Zenit-2 rocket stage, producing dozens of new tracked fragments. Remarkably, the satellite survived: within weeks it was observed maneuvering and transmitting again, apparently continuing its original mission despite the impact. It remains operational today, a satellite that took a direct hit from orbital debris and kept working.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Low Earth Orbitcan appear as a fast-moving star at dawn or dusk
- Altitude
- 487–492 mi (784–791 km)
- Inclination
- 98.4°
- One orbit
- 100.5 minutes14.3 orbits a day
- NORAD ID
- 44547
- Int’l designator
- 2019-063A
- Launched
- 2019
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.
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