Yaogan 6

 -021A

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China launched the Yaogan 6 "China remote sensing satellite No. 6" (Zhongguo yaogan weixing liuhao). It was built by the Shanghai hangtian jishu yanjiuyuan (Shanghai Academy of Space Technology, SAST), part of the Zhongguo hangtian keji jituan gongsi (China Aerospace Research and Technology Corp., CASC).

Launch was by CZ-2C. Five objects have been cataloged in orbit, with the presumed payload in a 484 x 516 km x 97.7 deg orbit and the remaining objects in 330-490 x 540-650 km orbits. These objects may be the second stage separation motors; it is possible that the second stage was suborbital, as on some previous Yaogan launches. Orbit is 1000 LTDN SSO. The satellite is thought to be a radar mission.

Yaogan 6 underwent natural decay until 2012 May when it reboosted its orbit and then maintained the higher altitude with regular burns until 2014 Jul, with a final burn lowering the orbit followed by natural decay.

YW6
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
2009 Apr 22	0255	Launch by CZ-2C
	0301?	CZ-2C VECO
	0303?	Stage 2 sep
	0303?	Sep-motor covers sep
2009 Apr 22			94.69 487 x 520 x 97.6
2009 Apr 25			94.63 489 x 511 x 97.6
		Orbit raise	94.83 509 x 511 x 97.6
2009 Apr 26			94.87 511 x 512 x 97.8
2009 May 3			94.87 511 x 513 x 97.6
2009 Sep 25			94.87 509 x 514 x 97.6
2010 Feb 26			94.85 510 x 511 x 97.6
2011 Jan 19			94.79 507 x 509 x 97.6
2011 Jul 23			94.73 504 x 505 x 97.6
2012 May 19			94.49 492 x 495 x 97.5
2012 May 23			94.54 490 x 501 x 97.5
2012 May 24		Orbit raise	94.76 504 x 509 x 97.4
2012 May 25		Orbit raise	94.88 511 x 514 x 97.3
2012 Nov 23			94.76 505 x 508 x 97.3
2012 Nov 24	Orbit raise	94.87 511 x 512 x 97.3
2013 Jun 20			94.86 510 x 513 x 97.3
2014 Jan 22			94.79 507 x 509 x 97.3
2014 Jan 23		Orbit raise	94.88 512 x 513 x 97.3
2014 May 17			94.78 506 x 509 x 97.3
2014 May 18		Orbit raise	94.89 513 x 513 x 97.3
2014 Jul 3			94.87 509 x 514 x 97.3
2014 Jul 4?		Orbit lower, depletion?
2014 Jul 7			94.74 482 x 528 x 97.2