Science
ASO-S
Chinese Solar Observatory (Founding Mission) · Chinese Academy of Sciences
Right now
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ASO-S is China's first satellite ever built specifically to watch the Sun — and it does three things simultaneously that no other single solar mission has combined: imaging solar flares, mapping the Sun's magnetic field, and tracking coronal mass ejections, the violent eruptions capable of knocking out power grids and satellites on Earth. Chinese scientists nicknamed it 'Kuafu-1' after a giant in Chinese mythology who chased the sun across the sky.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Low Earth Orbitcan appear as a fast-moving star at dawn or dusk
- Altitude
- 443–456 mi (712–734 km)
- Inclination
- 98.3°
- One orbit
- 99.1 minutes14.5 orbits a day
- NORAD ID
- 54029
- Int’l designator
- 2022-129A
- Launched
- 2022
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.