Chinese reconnaissance satellites flew over Ukraine's west during Russia's overnight attack
At least three Chinese SAR reconnaissance satellites flew over the areas in Ukraine's west that were the main focus of a Russian missile and drone attack on the night of 4-5 October.
Source: Ukrainian military news outlet Militarnyi, citing data from Heavens Above satellite monitoring service
Details: Satellites from the Yaogan 33 series – Yaogan 33, Yaogan 33-03 and Yaogan 33-04 – were recorded flying over the city of Lviv, making a total of nine passes over the region between 00:00 and approximately 11:30.
Later, at around 06:00, the optical reconnaissance satellite Yaogan 34 entered the region and completed seven orbits over it on 5 October.
Militarnyi notes that Chinese reconnaissance satellites fly over more than just western Ukraine. Overall, more than 60 different Yaogan series satellites, capable of optical, radar and electronic reconnaissance, have orbital parameters enabling them to operate over Ukraine.
These satellites are placed in low Earth orbit at an altitude of about 700 km, enabling them to complete one full revolution around the planet approximately every 90 minutes.
Militarnyi reports that little is known about the true capabilities of the Yaogan 33 satellites. Officially, China claims they are used for scientific experiments, land resource studies and disaster prevention. However, they are believed to be military reconnaissance satellites equipped with synthetic aperture radar (SAR), similar to ICEYE satellites.
The Yaogan 33 satellites, launched in 2022-2023, replaced the first-generation SAR reconnaissance satellite Yaogan-1, which was first deployed in 2006.
"It is not yet known whether these satellites conducted actual reconnaissance during their flyovers of Ukraine," Militarnyi writes.
Background:
- On the night of 4-5 October, Russia launched more than 50 missiles and around 500 attack drones against Ukraine, targeting Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, Odesa and Kirovohrad oblasts.
- Four people were killed and another eight injured in Lviv Oblast as a result of a combined strike involving drones and cruise missiles.
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