BEIDOU G5

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BEIDOU G5 is classified as:

Beidou Navigation System

NORAD ID: 38091

Int'l Code: 2012-008A

Perigee: 35,761.9 km

Apogee: 35,824.0 km

Inclination: 2.7 °

Period: 1,436.1 minutes

Semi major axis: 42163 km

RCS: 10.1705 m² (large)

Launch date: February 24, 2012
Source: People's Republic of China (PRC)
Launch site: Xichang Space Center, China (XSC)

BEIDOU G5 is the 11th operational Beidou satellite launched by China since 2007. It is the fifth craft to be launched into geosynchronous orbit over the equator, while other satellites operate in medium-altitude orbits and inclined flight paths to cover polar regions. China activated the Beidou network Dec. 27 on a trial basis. Its 10 operational satellites currently provide services over the Asia-Pacific region, including most of China. The coverage zone stretches from the southern border of Russia to Australia, and from India in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. The system has been used in transportation, weather forecasting, marine fisheries, hydrological monitoring, and mapping, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. Global coverage will be possible by 2020 with a constellation of 35 satellites.