During the attack by the Russian Federation over Lviv region, the flight of several Chinese satellites was recorded

Tetiana Bodnarenko
Tetiana Bodnarenko Journalist
During the attack by the Russian Federation over Lviv region, the flight of several Chinese satellites was recorded
in the photo: Long March 4C rocket with three Yaogan 33 satellites launched from Jiuquan Cosmodrome on September 6, 2023 (Ourspace).
On October 5th, at least three Chinese reconnaissance SAR satellites flew over the western part of Ukraine, which bore the main impact.

As written by ThePublic.info, this is reported by Military, analyzing the monitoring service Heavens Above which tracks satellite movements.

"In particular, over Lviv, the passage of Yaogan 33 series satellites was recorded: Yaogan 33, Yaogan 33-03, and Yaogan 33-04, which flew a total of 9 times over the region from 00:00 to approximately 11:30 in the morning," – writes the publication.

Later, around 6 a.m., an optical reconnaissance satellite Yaogan 34 entered the region. It will make 7 orbits over the region during October 5.

Chinese reconnaissance satellites pass not only over western regions of Ukraine. In total, orbital parameters allow operation over Ukraine by more than 60 different satellites of the Yaogan series. They can perform optical, radar, and electronic intelligence.

"Satellites of this series are placed in low Earth orbits at an altitude of about 700 kilometers. This allows them to make a full orbit around the planet approximately every 90 minutes," – the message states.

There is little information about Yaogan 33. According to the official Chinese position, satellites of this type are used for scientific experiments, land resource research, and disaster prevention. However, it is believed that these are actually military reconnaissance satellites equipped with synthetic aperture radar (SAR), similar to ICEYE satellites.

At the same time, it should be noted that it is unknown whether these satellites conducted actual reconnaissance during their passes over Ukraine.

Also read:

China provides Russia with satellite data for missile strikes on Ukraine

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