JB-3 3 (ZY 2C)

MilitaryLEOSSOPolarChina

JB-3 3 (ZY 2C) is a military satellite, as listed in Jonathan McDowell's GCAT catalogue, with ownership listed as China in CelesTrak's catalogue, currently in low Earth orbit, around 490 km altitude. It completes one orbit of Earth roughly every 95 minutes at an inclination of 97.3°. It was launched in 2004. Track its live position and see when it passes over your location on azmth.

Orbital data

NORAD ID: 28470
COSPAR ID: 2004-044A
Type: Military
Orbit: LEO
Perigee (lowest): 490 km
Apogee (highest): 536 km
Inclination: 97.29°
Orbital period: 95 min
Launch year: 2004
Owner (CelesTrak): China

Orbital data updated: 2026-10-18 · from CelesTrak, refreshed every 2 hours.

Who operates it

ChinaLIVEMission ended 25 Jun 2008

Optical imaging

GCAT lists it as Zi Yuan 2-03.

Independent assessment

GCAT classes it as a military satellite for optical imaging and records its mission as ended on 25 Jun 2008 (17 Oct 2026).

Data: GCAT · CC BY 4.0 Class, mission and status adapted from GCAT by Jonathan McDowell, CC BY 4.0, data update 17 Oct 2026.

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About LEO orbit

Low Earth Orbit. Up to 2,000 km altitude. Where most satellites live including the ISS (~420 km), Starlink (~550 km), and Earth observation. Orbital period roughly 90 minutes.