Yaogan 6 (JB-7 1)

Launch data: Designation  34839 / 09021A Launch date  22 Apr 2009 - 02:55 UT Launch site  Taiyuan, LC-7 Launch vehicle  CZ-2C2 (#F31) Mission  Government: Remote Sensing Sun-Synchronous LEO orbit on Apr 26.25: Perigee / Apogee  512 x 513 km Eccentricity  1.45E-04 Inclination  97.66 deg Period  94.87 min

Spacecraft data:

Mission details:

• Announced with the public name Yaogan Weixing 6 (remote sensing satellite), this is the first flight in the Jianbing-7 series of radar reconnaissance satellites. The satellite was developed by the Shanghai Academy of Space flight Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, and the people named in the launch congratulations are the same team credited with the development of the Jianbing-5 radar reconnaissance satellite. The launch announcement said that “It will be mainly used for land resources survey, environmental surveillance and protection, urban planning, crop yield estimates, disaster prevention and reduction and space science experiments”. But western military believes it to be a reconnaissance satellite.
• It was built by the Shanghai hangtian jishu yanjiuyuan (Shanghai Academy of Space Technology, SAST), part of the Zhongguo hangtian keji jituan gongsi (China Aerospace Research and Technology Corp., CASC).
• Launch was by CZ-2C. Six objects have been cataloged in orbit, with the payload raising its orbit from an initial 486 x 521 km x 97.6 deg to 511 x 513 km x 97.6 deg by Apr 29. The rocket stage is in a 431 x 583 km orbit; four small debris objects may be the second stage separation motors.