Re: China tested a FOBS?

From: Marco Langbroek via Seesat-l <seesat-l_at_satobs.org>
Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2021 16:42:06 +0200
Op 18-10-2021 om 15:00 schreef Marco Langbroek via Seesat-l:

> As it happens, the TLE that I posted above does also pass close to that place
> (and a few tweaks to it would make it pass right over that place), so my point
> that this could have been an orbital rather than suborbital flight that ended
> after the first revolution still stands.


Here is an updated proxy TLE for launch from Jiuquan:

CHINA XPLANE                            launch 2021-07-16 00:00:00 UT
1 70000U 21999A   21197.00000000  .00000000  00000-0  00000-0 0    00
2 70000 041.0697 309.6773 0000760 097.7066 323.0526 16.27042732    04

This matches a landing at Badanjilin airport, a 2.4 km long runway at 39.2264 N,
101.5477 E, that seems to have been constructed recently as it is not present in
Google Earth imagery from as recent as 2016.

A map with the resulting 1-revolution orbital trajectory can be seen in this
brief blogpost I just posted, "The Chinese space plane test of 16 July 2021:
orbital, not suborbital?":

https://sattrackcam.blogspot.com/2021/10/the-chinese-space-plane-test-of-16-july.html

So I do think that the initial judgement that the July space plane test was
'suborbital', is mistaken and it was orbital after all.

- Marco


-----
Dr Marco Langbroek  -  SatTrackCam Leiden, the Netherlands.
e-mail: sattrackcam_at_langbroek.org

launchtower:    http://launchtower.langbroek.org
Station (b)log: http://sattrackcam.blogspot.com
Twitter:        _at_Marco_Langbroek
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Received on Mon Oct 18 2021 - 09:42:45 UTC

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