Top Secret Chinese Spy Satellite Just Launched on Oversized Rocket

Enlarge / A Long March 5 rocket, THE the biggest launcher In China inventory, deployed A classified Chinese military Satellite In orbit Friday. CASC

China the biggest rocket apparently was not big enough has launch THE from the country most recent to spy Satellite, SO engineers gave THE rocket A upgrade.

THE Long March 5 launcher stole with A payload fairing a few 20 feet (6.2 meters) bigger that It is usual nose cone When he took disabled on Friday with A Chinese military to spy Satellite. This do THE Long March 5, with A height of a few 200 feet, THE the biggest rocket China has Never stolen.

Add has THE plot, THE Chinese government claims THE spatialship a board THE Long March 5 rocket, appointed Yaogan-41, East A high altitude optical remote detect Satellite. These types of monitoring satellites generally fly a lot closer has Earth has get THE the sharpest pictures possible of A the opponent military forces And strategically important sites.

This could mean A little things. First of all, supposing China official description East accurate, THE Satellite could be title For A perch In geosynchronous orbit, A position that would be allow any of them Facing the Earth sensors continuous views of A third of THE of the world surface. In This orbit, THE spatialship would be circle Earth once each 24 hours, synchronization It is movement with THE the planet rotation.

Because This assignment spear on China most powerful rocket, with THE longer payload fairing added on, THE Yaogan-41 spatialship East probably enough big. THE WE the military space follow up network find THE Yaogan-41 Satellite In A elliptical, Or oval shape, Soon After Friday launch. Yaogan-41 path takes he between A altitude of about 121 kilometers (195 kilometers) And 22,254 kilometers (35,815 kilometers), according to has publicly available follow up data.

This East A standard orbit For spatialship title In geosynchronous orbit. It is likely In THE future weeks that THE Yaogan-41 Satellite will maneuver In This more circular orbit, Or he would be maintain A altitude of 22,236 kilometers (35,786 kilometers) And maybe nudge himself In A orbit closer has THE equator.

Looking at down Since space

In A official statement, China state-run China news agency claims Yaogan-41 will be used For civil purposes, such as to land investigations And agricultural monitoring. In reality, China uses THE Yaogan name as A blanket identifier For most of It is military satellites.

WE military civil servants will closely watch has see Or Yaogan-41 ends up. If he settles down In geosynchronous orbit on THE Indian Or Peaceful Oceans, as analysts to wait for, Yaogan-41 would be to have A constant see of China, Taiwan, And neighbor country.

From such A high altitude, Yaogan-41 optical imager won't to have THE sharp vision of A Satellite closer has Earth. But It is easy has imagine THE benefits of all day blanket, even has lower resolution, without China military need has wait hours For A follow up pass on A potential target Since another Satellite In lowland orbit.

In August, China spear A synthetic opening radar monitoring Satellite In A geosynchronous type orbit using A medium range Long March 7 rocket. This spatialship can reach 20 meters (66 feet) resolution has Earth surface with It is radar instrument, which East able of day and night all the time imagery.

Optical payloads, as THE A on Yaogan-41, are limit has day observations on cloudless Regions. China spear A smaller optical remote detect Satellite In geosynchronous orbit In 2015, ostensibly For civil purposes.

Although Chinese civil servants did not disclose THE exact abilities of Yaogan-41, he would be almost certainly to have THE sensitivity has continually track WE Marine ships And ally ships through A wide swath of THE Indo-Pacific. Next to Since It is to use of THE bigger payload fairing, THE Long March 5 rocket used has launch Yaogan-41 can carry approximately 31,000 pound sterling (14 metric tons) of payload mass In THE orbit he reached on Friday throw.

This suggests China could to have team Yaogan-41 with A big telescope has glance down Since space. Notably, China recognized Yaogan-41 aim as A optical imagery Satellite. China government doesn't always TO DO that. Maybe This East A signal has WE civil servants.