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Yaogan-34 optical satellites

Military optical reconnaissance satellitesIn servicePending verification
SpaceCHN
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Fact cardConfidence · Source
System
TypeMilitary optical reconnaissance satellites
ProliferationOrigin country only
Satellites42021–2023Med[1]
First launch2021Med[1]
Orbit
Orbit regimeLEOMed[1]
Catalogued on orbit3Payloads with current element sets in the public catalog, active or not.High[2]
Active (CelesTrak)3Count in the CelesTrak active satellites list, which estimates operational status.Med[2]
Perigee1,041–1,049 kmActive satellites per CelesTrak, element epoch about 2026-11-08.High[2]
Apogee1,129–1,137 kmActive satellites per CelesTrak, element epoch about 2026-11-08.High[2]
Orbital period107 minActive satellites per CelesTrak, element epoch about 2026-11-08.High[2]
Inclination63.4–63.41 °Active satellites per CelesTrak, element epoch about 2026-11-08.High[2]
Catalogued satellites · 3[2]
NameNORADCOSPARPerigee kmApogee kmIncl. °Period minStatus
YAOGAN-34 01483402021-037A1,0491,12963.4107Active
YAOGAN-34 02520842022-027A1,0411,13763.4107Active
YAOGAN-34 03542492022-154A1,0491,12963.41107Active

Mean elements at epoch 2026-11-08 or later. Perigee and apogee are computed from mean motion and eccentricity and are approximate. Status follows the CelesTrak active list.

Summary

Chinese government optical remote sensing satellites, likely also used for military reconnaissance.

Draft entry. Values come from the cited public sources and are awaiting editor verification.
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Operators
Sources
  1. Yaogan 34, Gunter's Space Page
    Tier 3 · checked 2026-11-08
  2. NORAD GP element sets (current data), CelesTrak (data from the U.S. Space Force 18th/19th Space Defense Squadron catalog)
    Published/updated 2026-11-08 · Tier 1 · checked 2026-11-08
Change log
  • 2026-11-08 Entry created from cited open sources
  • 2026-11-08 Orbital elements from CelesTrak GP data (epoch about 2026-11-08): 3 catalogued, 3 active.