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BEIDOU-3 M25
Chinese Navigation Satellite (BeiDou-3) · CNSA / China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
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BeiDou-3 M25, 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 inter-satellite laser and radio crosslinks letting the constellation operate accurately even during extended gaps in contact with Chinese ground stations, a capability neither GPS nor GLONASS satellites of comparable generation carry.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Medium Earth Orbita high vantage point, ideal for navigation
- Altitude
- 13,373–13,390 mi (21,522–21,549 km)
- Inclination
- 54.4°
- One orbit
- 12.9 hours1.9 orbits a day
- NORAD ID
- 61186
- Int’l designator
- 2024-168B
- Launched
- 2024
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.
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