Science
GAOFEN-7
Chinese Stereo Mapping / Urban 3D Modeling Satellite · CNSA / CRESDA (China)
Right now
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Gaofen-7 does something no Chinese satellite had done before: it captures stereo imagery precise enough to measure a building's height to within half a meter from 310 miles up — sharp enough that Chinese planners use it to model entire cities in 3D for urban development, rather than just photographing them in 2D. It's the civilian-branded flagship of a satellite family whose military cousins have been quietly mapping far more sensitive terrain.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Low Earth Orbitcan appear as a fast-moving star at dawn or dusk
- Altitude
- 306–323 mi (492–520 km)
- Inclination
- 97.6°
- One orbit
- 94.6 minutes15.2 orbits a day
- NORAD ID
- 44703
- Int’l designator
- 2019-072A
- Launched
- 2019
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.
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