CLASSIFIED
GAOFEN-11 02
Chinese High-Resolution Intelligence Imaging Satellite · CNSA / PLA
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Officially a civilian land-survey satellite, Gaofen-11 02 is part of a series Western analysts assess as China's sharpest optical reconnaissance satellites — believed to carry the military designation JianBing-16. Its 1.7-meter mirror is smaller than the 2.4-meter mirrors on the US's own KH-11 satellites, but at closest approach it is assessed capable of resolving objects as small as 8-10cm — sharp enough, per NIIRS imagery-quality standards, to identify a handheld weapon from orbit. China has never officially acknowledged the military application.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Low Earth Orbitcan appear as a fast-moving star at dawn or dusk
- Altitude
- 302–317 mi (486–511 km)
- Inclination
- 97.5°
- One orbit
- 94.4 minutes15.2 orbits a day
- NORAD ID
- 46396
- Int’l designator
- 2020-064A
- Launched
- 2020
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.
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