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SHIYAN-9 (SY-9)

Chinese Technology Demonstrator (Unusual Low-Inclination Orbit) · CAST (China)

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Shiyan-9 (SY-9), a Chinese technology demonstration satellite launched into an unusually low 16.4° inclination — a near-equatorial orbit almost no other Shiyan satellite has used, suggesting a mission specifically requiring low-latitude coverage that China has not publicly explained.

Its orbit

Orbit
Geostationaryappears to hang motionless over one spot on the equator
Altitude
22,204–22,280 mi (35,735–35,857 km)
Inclination
16.3°
One orbit
23.9 hoursabout one orbit a day
NORAD ID
47851
Int’l designator
2021-019A
Launched
2021

Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.

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