Orbital Traffic All objects

Navigation

BEIDOU-3 M28

Chinese Navigation Satellite (BeiDou-3) · CNSA / China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

Right now

It moves every second. See exactly where it is — worked out from its orbit, on your own device — on the live 3D globe.

Watch it live on the 3D globe

BeiDou-3 M28, part of China's global navigation constellation completed in 2020 — the culmination of a program China built after a 1990s missile test near Taiwan reportedly lost GPS guidance, convincing Chinese military planners never to depend on a foreign-controlled satellite system again. This satellite contributes BeiDou's unique short-message satellite texting feature — absent from GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo alike — originally built for Chinese fishing vessels and military units operating far beyond any cellular network's reach.

Its orbit

Orbit
Medium Earth Orbita high vantage point, ideal for navigation
Altitude
13,381–13,382 mi (21,534–21,536 km)
Inclination
55.8°
One orbit
12.9 hours1.9 orbits a day
NORAD ID
58654
Int’l designator
2023-207A
Launched
2023

Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.

More navigation