Yaogan 27 (JB-9 5)

Spacecraft nº:

Chinese spacecraft nº: 249

Launch data: Designation  40878 / 15040A Launch date  27 Aug 2015 - 02:31 UT Launch site  Taiyuan, LC-9 Launch vehicle  CZ-4C Mission  Earth observation, Imaging Earth orbit: Perigee / Apogee  1194 x 1206 km Eccentricity   Inclination  100.5 ° Period  109.4 min

Yaogan type

Spacecraft data:

Description:

• YAOGAN 27 is officially designed "for experiments, land surveys, crop yield estimates and disaster prevention" (Xinhua), but analysts believe the spacecraft is intended to operate as a military spy satellite. The commonalities with some other Chinese orbiters likely mean Yaogan 27 is the next in a sequence of optical reconnaissance satellites designed to supply high-resolution imagery to the Chinese military and intelligence agencies.
• The Yaogan 27 (Remote Sensing Satellite-27) is the fifth of a new generation of optical reconnaissance satellites. The previous where Yaogan 8 (15 Dec 2009), 15 (29 May 2012), 19 (20 Nov 2013) and 22 (20 Oct 2014).

External links:

• Satellite tracking: Real time satellite tracking