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Yaogan 41

active

遥感四十一号卫星

Earth ObservationGEOCOSPAR 2023-197ALaunched 12/15/2023
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Mission & Launch
Launch Mission
Yaogan 41 Mission
Launch Vehicle
Long March 5
Launch Date
12/15/2023
Orbit & Mass
Orbit Class
GEO
Altitude
35,785.5 km
Inclination
4.87 deg
Dry Mass
6,500 kg
Total Mass
12,000 kg
Payload Classification
Mission Type
Earth Observation
Payload Category
IMG
Payload Class
D
Organizations
Operator
Chinese People’s Liberation Army
Manufacturer
China Academy of Space Technology (CAST)
Registry
COSPAR ID
2023-197A
UN Registration
ST/SG/SER.E/1237
Track
Mentions
15
All verified mentions of this spacecraft in source documents.
0.0-5.0
Actions

The Long March 5’s longer fairing first flew on Yaogan-41 in December 2023.

PlanGeneralValue 3.0Jun 11, 2026Sizeable TJSW Spacecraft Heads for Geostationary Space via Wenchang [Long March 5 Y11]

China operates Yaogan-41, a high-orbit optical reconnaissance satellite that influenced India’s shift toward tactical space capabilities.

GeneralCapabilityValue 3.5Feb 16, 2026India Accelerates Military Space Architecture Amid Rising Orbital Weaponization Risks

Yaogan-45 was launched to medium Earth orbit in September 2025, and Yaogan-41 was launched to geostationary orbit in December 2023.

PlanValue 4.0Nov 3, 2025Third Beyond Low Earth Orbit Yaogan Satellite Launched [Long March 7A Y13]

China's 'YaoGan 41' satellite, launched at the end of 2023, is believed to achieve a ground resolution of about 2.5 meters from a distance 50 to 60 times greater than traditional LEO optical satellites.

CapabilityGeneralValue 4.0Oct 6, 2025防衛省は「宇宙」をどう活用していく?–「宇宙領域防衛指針」を一問一答で整理【秋山文野】

Yaogan-45 follows Yaogan-41, which was launched by a Long March 5 in 2023.

GeneralPlanValue 3.4Sep 9, 2025Yaogan Satellite Heads for Medium Earth Orbit [Long March 7A Y14]

Yaogan-41 was placed into geosynchronous orbit in late 2023 on a Long March 5 rocket using a new 18.5-meter-long, 5.2-meter-diameter payload fairing.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0Apr 22, 2024China launches second Yaogan-42 reconnaissance satellite

China launched the Yaogan-41 satellite toward geosynchronous orbit in late 2023.

PlanCapabilityValue 4.0Apr 3, 2024China launches first of a new series of Yaogan reconnaissance satellites

Yaogan-41 launched on a Long March 5 rocket using a new elongated payload fairing measuring 18.5 m long and 5.2 m in diameter.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0Apr 3, 2024China launches first of a new series of Yaogan reconnaissance satellites

The time between the Long March 5 launch of Yaogan-41 and the TJS-11 launch was 70 days, the shortest interval between Long March 5 launches to date.

PlanValue 3.8Feb 23, 2024China launches classified military satellite towards geostationary belt

China launched the Ludi Tance-4 (01) L-band synthetic aperture radar satellite and the Yaogan-41 optical satellite separately in the second half of 2023.

PlanCapabilityValue 4.0Feb 23, 2024China launches classified military satellite towards geostationary belt

China launched the pair of Ludi Tance-4 (01) and Yaogan-41 satellites in the second half of 2023.

PlanValue 4.5Feb 23, 2024China launches classified military satellite towards geostationary belt

China launched the classified Yaogan-41 optical satellite to geostationary orbit in December.

PlanCapabilityValue 3.0Jan 30, 2024U.S. Space Force wary of China’s expanding spy satellite fleet

China launched the Yaogan-41 remote sensing satellite on 2023-12-15.

GeneralPlanValue 4.0Dec 17, 2023China launches a remote sensing satellite aboard a new supersized rocket

The Yaogan-41 launch occurred one day after China launched its experimental reusable spacecraft into orbit for the third time into a 333 by 348-kilometer orbit inclined at 50 degrees.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0Dec 15, 2023China launches large classified optical satellite towards geostationary orbit

China launched the classified Yaogan-41 optical satellite toward the geostationary belt on 2023-12-15.

PlanGeneralValue 4.0Dec 15, 2023China launches large classified optical satellite towards geostationary orbit