SHIYAN-33

MilitaryLEOSSOPolarChina

SHIYAN-33 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 479 km altitude. It completes one orbit of Earth roughly every 94 minutes at an inclination of 97.5°. It was launched in 2026. Track its live position and see when it passes over your location on azmth.

Orbital data

NORAD ID: 68405
COSPAR ID: 2026-064A
Type: Military
Orbit: LEO
Perigee (lowest): 479 km
Apogee (highest): 511 km
Inclination: 97.45°
Orbital period: 94 min
Launch year: 2026
Owner (CelesTrak): China

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

Who operates it

ChinaLIVEActive

Optical imaging

Official description

“The Shiyan-33 satellite is mainly used for space environment detection science experiments.”

Xinhua, 27 Mar 2026

azmth's translation · Show original

试验三十三号卫星主要用于空间环境探测科学试验。

“The satellite is mainly used for space environment detection science experiments.”

China National Space Administration, 27 Mar 2026

azmth's translation · Show original

该卫星主要用于空间环境探测科学试验。

Independent assessment

GCAT classes it as a military satellite for optical imaging and records it as active (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.

Military satellites, counted and explained →

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.