Science
TIANHUI 2-02A
Chinese Military SAR/Optical Stereo Mapping (Paired) · CAST / PLA Navigation and Survey Bureau
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Lead satellite of the second Tianhui-2 formation pair, launched in 2021 to expand China's radar interferometry mapping capability. With two operational Tianhui-2 pairs in orbit, the PLA's Navigation and Survey Bureau gained the ability to task multiple simultaneous all-weather elevation mapping missions — doubling the throughput of what had been, with the first pair alone, a capacity-constrained program for updating China's strategic terrain databases.
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
- 49071
- Int’l designator
- 2021-074A
- Launched
- 2021
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.
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