China Aerospace Science and Technology CorporationLong March 4BLaunch Complex 9, Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Yaogan 21 & Tiantuo 2
Launched
September 8, 2014
Image: CASC
Summary
Yaogan 21 & Tiantuo 2 launched on a China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 4B from Launch Complex 9, Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China on September 8, 2014. It was China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation's 139th launch, 5th this year and humanity's 5,404th orbital launch attempt. It was the 22nd Long March 4B flight and the 2nd this year. The payload was bound for Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO). Yaogan Weixing 21, one of 3 catalogued objects, reached a 483 × 500 km orbit inclined 97.4°. 3 objects from this launch are catalogued, 2 of them payloads.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Government/Top Secret · Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO)
- Milestone
- 22nd Long March 4B flight · 2nd this yearChina Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation's 139th launch5th this yearhumanity's 5,404th orbital launch attempt55th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Yaogan Weixing 21 · NORAD 40143 · 2014-053 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 3 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
- Object ID
- 2014-053A
- Epoch
- 2014-09-08 04:25:32 UTC
- Mean motion
- 15.27137468 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0012743
- Inclination
- 97.4154°
- Ascending node
- 324.7352°
- Arg. of perigee
- 244.087°
- Mean anomaly
- 115.8975°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 0
- B*
- 0
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: SSO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
3 catalogued: 2 payloads, 1 rocket stage; 1 still in orbit
- Yaogan Weixing 21 · NORAD 40143 · in orbit
- Tiantuo 2 · NORAD 40144 · re-entered February 1, 2025
CZ-4B Y28 Stage 3 · re-entered October 23, 2014
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
Yaogan 21 is a Chinese military reconnaissance satellite launched into sun-synchronous orbit together with Tiantuo 2, a small technology-demonstration satellite from the National University of Defense Technology. Yaogan is the public designation China gives to its military reconnaissance satellites; official statements describe them only as remote-sensing spacecraft for land survey, crop estimation and disaster monitoring.
Pad
Launch Complex 9, Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
17th launch from Launch Complex 9, 2nd this year · 51st from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
80 launches from this pad · 162 from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
20 days after the previous launch from this pad
All launches from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of ChinaOpen in maps
Questions
When did Yaogan 21 & Tiantuo 2 launch?
Yaogan 21 & Tiantuo 2 launched on September 8, 2014. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch Yaogan 21 & Tiantuo 2?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched Yaogan 21 & Tiantuo 2?
Long March 4B, flown by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. Long March 4B spec sheet
Where did Yaogan 21 & Tiantuo 2 launch from?
Launch Complex 9, Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China.
What orbit did Yaogan 21 & Tiantuo 2 reach?
Yaogan Weixing 21, one of 3 catalogued objects, reached a 483 × 500 km orbit inclined 97.4°.
How many satellites did Yaogan 21 & Tiantuo 2 launch?
2 payloads from this launch are catalogued, 1 of them still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).