According to the news on Oct. 18, China launched Shiyan-10 (Experiment No. 10) at 16:20 on Sept. 27 at Xichang Satellite Launch Center with a Long March 3B carrier rocket. Officials later said that the rocket flew normally and the satellite was accurately put into orbit, but the satellite’s working conditions were abnormal during the rocket’s flight.
According to the news from Xi’an Satellite Measurement and Control Center on Oct. 17, the “Shiyan-10” satellite has been successfully rescued. However, the specific details were not disclosed. A comment under the WeChat post says “after the ‘Strong No. 9’ several years ago, the ‘Strong No. 10’ made it again recently,” also implying that this mysterious satellite was rescued successfully.
The “Strong No. 9” probably refers to the Zhongxing-9A communication satellite launched on June 19, 2017, when the satellite orbited at an apogee altitude of only 16,000 kilometers due to problems with the three-stage rocket. Later, the satellite reoriented itself and entered a geosynchronous orbit at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers. For “Shiyan-10,” there were claims that the satellite underwent several re-orbiting operations between Oct. 15 and 17 before finally settling successfully.
According to data posted on the NORAD website, “Shiyan-10” – number 49258, orbital period 718.23 minutes, inclination 51.06 degrees, apogee 39,927 kilometers, perigee 450 kilometers.
A Russian space expert said China’s Shiyan-10 satellite has been successfully “reorbited” after two and a half weeks of malfunctioning in orbit, according to a Sputnik report on Oct. 17.
The report says that on Oct. 15, the Shiyan-10 satellite used its engine to perform an attitude maneuver, switching from a perigee of 168 kilometers and an apogee of 40,086 kilometers to an orbit with a perigee of 450 kilometers and an apogee of 39,927 kilometers. This means “a big reversal of an otherwise failed launch.”
In general, China’s experimental series of satellites are used to verify the latest technology or applications.
In 2004, China launched its first transmission-type stereo mapping small satellite, Shiyan-1, and in the same year launched a scientific test small satellite, Shiyan-2, with high-precision control, fast sway and yaw maneuvering capabilities.
The Xi’an Satellite Control Center has multi-orbit, multi-spacecraft, long-range tracking and precise measurement and control capabilities, and was just visited by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September.