27 December 2020: China launches secret military satellite using a Long March 4C rocket.
– U.S. military tracking data indicated the launcher reached a 425 mile orbit with a 98.3 degree inclination. View Orbit.
– Chinese officials stated the primary payload as Yaogan 33.
– Independent analysts believe Yaogan 33 might carry a radar imager designed to obtain all-weather, day-and-night imagery of strategic targets around the world. Some references name the new satellite “Yaogan 33R.”
– Yaogan 33 was also the name of a military remote sensing satellite lost in May 2019. Yaogan 33R launched into a slightly different orbit; some analysts believe it may be a new type of Chinese surveillance payload.
Reporting of Yaogan 33 capabilities is inconsistent: SAR, EO and SIGINT are all mentioned in different forums.
The 27 December launch was China’s final for the year. China successfully launched 35 space missions into orbit this year in 39 attempts. U.S. companies performed 44 orbital launch attempts, with 40 successes, including flights by California-headquartered Rocket Lab from its private launch base in New Zealand. China Space 2020 Year in Review.
