Author Topic: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09  (Read 25881 times)

Offline Liss

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Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« on: 04/21/2009 03:33 pm »
According to http://scitech.people.com.cn/GB/9166894.html , Yaogan Weixing 6 is to be launched on April 22 from Taiyuan by CZ-2C.
« Last Edit: 04/21/2009 10:39 pm by Chris Bergin »
This message reflects my personal opinion based on open sources of information.

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan
« Reply #1 on: 04/21/2009 06:32 pm »
Thanks for the alert Liss!!!

Any idea of what kind of satellite this new remote sensing bird could be?

Online Chris Bergin

Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #2 on: 04/22/2009 04:13 am »
Not seeing anything in the Chinese media yet.
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Offline Phillip Clark

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan
« Reply #3 on: 04/22/2009 04:52 am »
Thanks for the alert Liss!!!

Any idea of what kind of satellite this new remote sensing bird could be?

The combination of a CZ-2C and Taiyuan is new to the Yaogan Weixing programme, so I am assuming a new Jianbing series and a new orbital regime: maybe the missing Jianbing-7 radar satellite? - although if that's a Shanghai payload I would have expected it on a CZ-4 variant.
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Offline wbhh

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #4 on: 04/22/2009 05:55 am »
luanched at April 22, GMT 2:55
no pictures, no more information until now

http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2009-04/22/content_11231446.htm

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Offline input~2

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #6 on: 04/22/2009 07:10 am »
Launch time was 10:55 LT.
« Last Edit: 09/11/2011 09:03 pm by Ronsmytheiii »

Offline Liss

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #7 on: 04/22/2009 08:08 am »
SAST is announced as the spacecraft producer.
This message reflects my personal opinion based on open sources of information.

Offline William Graham

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #8 on: 04/22/2009 09:33 am »
Images show launch from Pad 1

Offline Phillip Clark

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #9 on: 04/22/2009 11:13 am »
SAST is announced as the spacecraft producer.

This is suggestive of a new series of radar satellites, like Yaogans 1 & 3 (Jianbing-5 series).   The use of the CZ-2C indicates a much lower mass than the Jianbing-5 (2,700 kg).

This would parallel the imaging Yaogans with 2 and 4 being the small CAST-2000 platform (Jianbing-6) and 5 being the Phoenix Eye 2 platform (Jianbing-8).

And yes, it's a new orbit regime for the Yaogan series, with quite a few pieces of debris catalogued.
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Offline William Graham

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #10 on: 04/22/2009 02:57 pm »
Has the upper stage been catalogued or not?

Offline Phillip Clark

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #11 on: 04/22/2009 04:38 pm »
Has the upper stage been catalogued or not?

Here are the objects catalogued to date:

Catalogue      Orbital      Orbital    Orbital  Perigee    Apogee   Arg of
  Number        Epoch     Inclination   Period                     Perigee
                              deg         min      km        km      deg
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
34839       2009 Apr 22.16   97.65       94.63      485       517    312
34839       2009 Apr 22.24   97.64       94.69      487       520    323
34839       2009 Apr 22.39   97.64       94.70      487       521    322
34839       2009 Apr 22.52   97.63       94.69      486       521    321


34840       2009 Apr 22.16   97.61       94.71      430       580    320
34840       2009 Apr 22.30   97.61       94.77      434       582    321
34840       2009 Apr 22.30   97.61       94.77      434       582    321
34840       2009 Apr 22.49   97.61       94.77      431       584    321


34841       2009 Apr 22.16   97.83       96.00      488       646    221
34841       2009 Apr 22.30   97.82       96.03      491       646    219
34841       2009 Apr 22.37   97.84       96.04      491       646    221
34841       2009 Apr 22.50   97.84       96.03      491       646    221


34842       2009 Apr 22.23   97.43       93.39      343       538    315
34842       2009 Apr 22.43   97.41       93.39      342       538    314
34842       2009 Apr 22.58   97.40       93.39      343       538    313


34843       2009 Apr 22.23   97.91       93.31      329       543    318
34843       2009 Apr 22.31   97.87       93.32      332       542    318
34843       2009 Apr 22.42   97.83       93.30      337       535    316
34843       2009 Apr 22.51   97.83       93.31      336       538    315
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« Last Edit: 04/22/2009 06:16 pm by jan_carlo_bascu »

Offline jcm

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #13 on: 04/22/2009 07:30 pm »
Has the upper stage been catalogued or not?

Here are the objects catalogued to date:

Catalogue      Orbital      Orbital    Orbital  Perigee    Apogee   Arg of
  Number        Epoch     Inclination   Period                     Perigee
                              deg         min      km        km      deg
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
34839       2009 Apr 22.16   97.65       94.63      485       517    312
34839       2009 Apr 22.24   97.64       94.69      487       520    323
34839       2009 Apr 22.39   97.64       94.70      487       521    322
34839       2009 Apr 22.52   97.63       94.69      486       521    321


34840       2009 Apr 22.16   97.61       94.71      430       580    320
34840       2009 Apr 22.30   97.61       94.77      434       582    321
34840       2009 Apr 22.30   97.61       94.77      434       582    321
34840       2009 Apr 22.49   97.61       94.77      431       584    321


34841       2009 Apr 22.16   97.83       96.00      488       646    221
34841       2009 Apr 22.30   97.82       96.03      491       646    219
34841       2009 Apr 22.37   97.84       96.04      491       646    221
34841       2009 Apr 22.50   97.84       96.03      491       646    221


34842       2009 Apr 22.23   97.43       93.39      343       538    315
34842       2009 Apr 22.43   97.41       93.39      342       538    314
34842       2009 Apr 22.58   97.40       93.39      343       538    313


34843       2009 Apr 22.23   97.91       93.31      329       543    318
34843       2009 Apr 22.31   97.87       93.32      332       542    318
34843       2009 Apr 22.42   97.83       93.30      337       535    316
34843       2009 Apr 22.51   97.83       93.31      336       538    315

It's possible that objects B-E are the second stage separation motor covers (four are often cataloged with CZ-2C launches in slightly higher orbits than the second stage itself). This could mean the second stage was suborbital as for some other Yaogan launches. Will have to look out for RCS data...
-----------------------------

Jonathan McDowell
http://planet4589.org

Offline Liss

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #14 on: 04/22/2009 08:39 pm »
Yaogan-6 Launch Video

http://vod.cctv.com/html/media/worldwidewatch/2009/04/worldwidewatch_300_20090422_18.shtml

This one is probably better, having animation of solar panels deployment: http://space.tv.cctv.com/video/VIDE1240408837000110

Is the launch time 10:55:04.562 or so?
This message reflects my personal opinion based on open sources of information.

Offline Phillip Clark

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #15 on: 04/23/2009 06:24 am »
Yaogan-6 Launch Video

http://vod.cctv.com/html/media/worldwidewatch/2009/04/worldwidewatch_300_20090422_18.shtml

This one is probably better, having animation of solar panels deployment: http://space.tv.cctv.com/video/VIDE1240408837000110

Is the launch time 10:55:04.562 or so?

Thank you for the link, Igor.   The satellite as depicted only shows a box-shaped body and a pair of solar panels unfolding: no radar antenna or other instrumentation visible.

I wonder whether the animation represents the true satellite or whether it is simply a generic satellite design, simply to show something being put into orbit?

And Jonathan, you could well be right about the second stage de-orbiting itself but leaving the separation motor covers in orbit.   As you say, the decay rates should give us a clue.
« Last Edit: 04/23/2009 11:11 am by Phillip Clark »
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Offline input~2

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #16 on: 04/23/2009 09:11 am »
Images show launch from Pad 1
It is confirmed that the launch took place from "the old pad"
see here

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #17 on: 04/23/2009 09:12 am »

Is the launch time 10:55:04.562 or so?

Yes, it looks like that's the launch time.

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan
« Reply #18 on: 04/24/2009 10:27 am »
According to a congratulatory letter from Chinese academy of science, it is a radar satellite--JB-7.

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan
« Reply #19 on: 04/24/2009 11:17 am »
According to a congratulatory letter from Chinese academy of science, it is a radar satellite--JB-7.

Thank you for this info.   It looks like there are two "seasons" for Yaogan launches, April-June and another six months later .........

I am waiting to see if Yaogan 6 has a manoeuvre capability like the Jianbing-8 (Yaogan 5) and the Jianbing-3 predecessors.   The perigees of JB-7 and JB-8 are about the same, but JB-7 has an apogee that is about 25 km higher than JB-8 at present.

And USSSN is identifying object B from the launch (the second of the objects that I previously gave orbital data for) with the second stage of the CZ-2C launch vehicle.
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Offline Liss

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan
« Reply #20 on: 04/24/2009 12:30 pm »
According to a congratulatory letter from Chinese academy of science, it is a radar satellite--JB-7.
Oh well :-)
It'd be interesting to see the letter, even in Chinese.
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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan
« Reply #21 on: 04/24/2009 02:08 pm »
According to a congratulatory letter from Chinese academy of science, it is a radar satellite--JB-7.
Oh well :-)
It'd be interesting to see the letter, even in Chinese.
"电子所" means Electronic Institute. The payload was developed in Shanghai. All the things prove it is a radar satellite and the only possibility is JB-7.
« Last Edit: 04/24/2009 02:30 pm by blackjack »

Offline Liss

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #22 on: 04/24/2009 02:30 pm »
Well, I cannot see words 尖兵七号 in it, so I understand you that the congratualtion says about radar satellite without specifying its name.
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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #23 on: 04/24/2009 02:31 pm »
Well, I cannot see words 尖兵七号 in it, so I understand you that the congratualtion says about radar satellite without specifying its name.
"电子所" means Electronic Institute. The payload was developed in Shanghai. All the things prove it is a radar satellite and the only possibility is JB-7.

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #24 on: 04/24/2009 02:36 pm »
According to newspaper, the main stylist of the satellite called "YG-6" is "李晔", the engineerring stylist is "魏钟铨". As I know, they are the stylists of JB-7 in plan.
« Last Edit: 04/24/2009 02:38 pm by blackjack »

Offline Liss

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #25 on: 04/24/2009 05:43 pm »
According to newspaper, the main stylist of the satellite called "YG-6" is "李晔", the engineerring stylist is "魏钟铨". As I know, they are the stylists of JB-7 in plan.
Direcror Li Ye and chief designer Wei Zhongquan, who were in the same positions for JB-5. So you are most probably right about the radar satellite!
But... in http://www.china-spacenews.com/n435777/n502211/56052.html I can find three names:
总指挥 颜履杰、= satellite commander in chief Yan Liujie
总设计师 李晔讲述 = satellite chief designer Li Ye
工程总师 魏钟铨 = ... Wei Zhongquan
What is the title of Wei Zhongquan? Is he the boss for Yan Liujie and Li Ye or not?
« Last Edit: 04/24/2009 08:00 pm by Liss »
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Offline input~2

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #26 on: 04/24/2009 07:55 pm »
And here is a piece of debris from the launcher 1st stage (edit: recovered near Caichuan village (N335255E1101817) in Shaanxi province)

source
« Last Edit: 11/30/2011 09:25 pm by input~2 »

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #27 on: 04/24/2009 08:38 pm »
The 061907.2 marking on the piece mentioned in text is interesting.
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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #28 on: 04/26/2009 09:40 am »
in http://www.china-spacenews.com/n435777/n502211/56052.html I can find three names:
总指挥 颜履杰、= satellite commander in chief Yan Liujie
总设计师 李晔讲述 = satellite chief designer Li Ye
工程总师 魏钟铨 = ... Wei Zhongquan
总指挥颜履杰 = Yán Lǚjié, (YaoGan-6) program manager
总设计师李晔 = Lĭ Yè, (Yaogan-6) chief design engineer

中国航天科技集团公司总经理马兴瑞 = Ma Xingrui , General Manager of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC)
副总经理袁家军 =  Yuán Jiājūn, (CASC) deputy general manager
工程总师 魏钟铨 = Wèi Zhōngquán, general engineer

Mr. Wei Zhongquan has co-authored a book on SAR satellites (Synthetic aperture radar satellite-合成孔径雷达卫星. Science Press, Beijing, 2001),  he is also the co-author of a 1993 paper on Chinese spaceborne SAR with this abstract:"The primary studies on spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) in China are discussed. The SAR will be launched aboard a Chinese satellite and operated at L-band with HH polarization. The purpose of the mission in consideration is dedicated to resources and environment uses, especially to natural disaster monitoring. The ground resolution is designed as 25 m x 25 m for detailed mode and 100 m x 100 m for wide scan-SAR mode. The off-nadir angle can be varied from 20 to 40 deg. The key system concepts are introduced."

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #29 on: 04/26/2009 02:15 pm »
Yaogan-6 Launch Video

http://vod.cctv.com/html/media/worldwidewatch/2009/04/worldwidewatch_300_20090422_18.shtml

This one is probably better, having animation of solar panels deployment: http://space.tv.cctv.com/video/VIDE1240408837000110

Is the launch time 10:55:04.562 or so?

Thank you for the link, Igor.   The satellite as depicted only shows a box-shaped body and a pair of solar panels unfolding: no radar antenna or other instrumentation visible.

I wonder whether the animation represents the true satellite or whether it is simply a generic satellite design, simply to show something being put into orbit?

And Jonathan, you could well be right about the second stage de-orbiting itself but leaving the separation motor covers in orbit.   As you say, the decay rates sh is ould give us a clue.

I attached 2 images of Shijian-7, which have been published on commemorative items issued by Beijing Institute Tracking & Telecom Technology (BITTT) and Xian Satellite Control Center (XSCC). SJ-7, launched in 2005, was also bulit by Shanghai Academay. The similarity to the spacecraft depicted in the YG-6 launch video is obvious. Maybe SJ-7 and YG-6 use the same satellite bus.
Gert

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #30 on: 04/26/2009 02:25 pm »
Thank you, input~2. My computer cannot show the diacritical signs, it substitutes Russian letters for them, but this is not a problem and your comments are really interesting.
This message reflects my personal opinion based on open sources of information.

Offline Phillip Clark

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #31 on: 04/26/2009 05:09 pm »
I attached 2 images of Shijian-7, which have been published on commemorative items issued by Beijing Institute Tracking & Telecom Technology (BITTT) and Xian Satellite Control Center (XSCC). SJ-7, launched in 2005, was also bulit by Shanghai Academay. The similarity to the spacecraft depicted in the YG-6 launch video is obvious. Maybe SJ-7 and YG-6 use the same satellite bus.
Gert

Very interesting to see these images, thank you! - I cannot recall a decent depiction of Shijian 7 before.   That satellite is still occasionally manoeuvring in orbit, and I had it logged as being some kind of propulsion system test - like Shijian 9 is supposed to be (see Gunter Krebs website).

Yaogan 6 has been doing some manoeuvring itself and I am waiting to see what its final orbit will be ..........
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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #32 on: 04/26/2009 06:18 pm »
Following on from my comment above, Yaogan 6 has manoeuvred to the following orbit:

Apr 26.25   97.66 deg   94.87 minutes   512 km   513 km

This orbit repeats its groundtrack after 713 circuits - every 47 days.
« Last Edit: 04/26/2009 06:26 pm by Phillip Clark »
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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #33 on: 04/27/2009 09:25 am »
To compare, find attached a SJ-7 mockup (Beijing exhibition last year)

I agree about the specific propulsion system of SJ-9 (ionic following Zhuhai 2008) but if Yaogan-6 is SJ-9, I cannot understand the size parameter : SJ-9 is a small satellite.

So I have some doubts about the Yaogan-6 platform
« Last Edit: 04/27/2009 09:33 am by summit2 »

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #34 on: 04/27/2009 11:14 am »
To compare, find attached a SJ-7 mockup (Beijing exhibition last year)

I agree about the specific propulsion system of SJ-9 (ionic following Zhuhai 2008) but if Yaogan-6 is SJ-9, I cannot understand the size parameter : SJ-9 is a small satellite.

So I have some doubts about the Yaogan-6 platform

I wasn't saying that Shijian 9 = Yaogan 6.   Simply that I had wondered whether Shijian 9 would be like Shijian 7, irrespective of the the same platform possibly being used.

Maybe some low-thrust propulsion technology from SJ7 has been applied to Yaogan 6?

A pity that we don't have designators and details for the Shanghai platforms as we now do for the CAST ones.   Something to look forward to in the future!

Has anyone seen an official mass for Shijian 7?   Or been next to the display model to give an idea of its scale?
« Last Edit: 04/27/2009 03:41 pm by Phillip Clark »
I've always been crazy but it's kept me from going insane - WJ.

Offline Liss

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #35 on: 05/06/2009 07:04 pm »
Very interesting to see these images, thank you! - I cannot recall a decent depiction of Shijian 7 before.   That satellite is still occasionally manoeuvring in orbit, and I had it logged as being some kind of propulsion system test...
Phillip, there are indications on a Chinese forum http://www.fyjs.cn/viewarticle.php?id=166801 that SJ-7 is the testbed for an space-based early warning system.
This message reflects my personal opinion based on open sources of information.

Offline Phillip Clark

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Re: Yaogan 6 -- CZ-2C -- Taiyuan - April 22, 09
« Reply #36 on: 05/07/2009 11:23 am »
Very interesting to see these images, thank you! - I cannot recall a decent depiction of Shijian 7 before.   That satellite is still occasionally manoeuvring in orbit, and I had it logged as being some kind of propulsion system test...
Phillip, there are indications on a Chinese forum http://www.fyjs.cn/viewarticle.php?id=166801 that SJ-7 is the testbed for an space-based early warning system.

I wonder whether the Shijian and Shiyan programmes are the equivalent of the Cosmos programme?

Since Gunter Krebs has the drawing (not photograph) of Shijian 7 on his website as Shijian 9, I wonder whether that will be the second "early warning" satellite testbed?

And where is China's ELINT satellite programme?   Some Shenzhous are supposed to have carried possible ELINT payloads on the orbital modules that operated after the return of the descent modules and of course there are the unexplained Chang Kong satellites from the second half of the 1970s.   Maybe we can look forward to more Jianbing/Yaogan series for the ELINT programme?   Or perhaps such payloads can be carried as supplementary instrumentation on other satellites.

(Moderator - this discussion has moved away from Yaogan 6 itself, so maybe we need a transfer to a new thread?)
I've always been crazy but it's kept me from going insane - WJ.

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