Space Brief 31 Dec 2025
Notable space events as the year closes: China's record orbital launches, Vandenberg's new launch site, Rocket Lab's achievements, and urgent MAVEN recovery efforts.
Launch Date
January 11, 2018
Launch Site
XICLF
Launch Pad
LC3
Launch Vehicle
Chang Zheng 3B/YZ-1
NORAD ID
43108
International Designator
2018-003B
Epoch
Fri, 03 Jul 2026 22:34:48 GMT
Apogee
Calculating...
Perigee
Calculating...
Inclination
54.30°
Right Ascension
301.71°
Eccentricity
Calculating...
Argument of Perigee
257.96°
Period
773.23 min
Mean Motion
1.86 rev/day
Latitude
Calculating...
Longitude
Calculating...
Altitude
Calculating...
Velocity
Calculating...
Name
BEIDOU-3 M8
Alternative Name
Beidou DW 27
Type
Status
Owner
CNSA
Country
China
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
1 43108U 18003B 26184.94083422 -.00000059 00000-0 00000-0 0 9996
2 43108 54.3045 301.7129 0002939 257.9576 102.0322 1.86231143 57670
Source: Celestrak
Length
2.2
Diameter
1.7
Span
10
Dry Mass
850
Launch Mass
1014
Shape
Box + 2 Pan
Radar Cross Section
Unknown
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
Beidou-3 M8
Purpose
Navigation
Mission
Navigation
Manufacturer
SECM
Life Expectancy
12 years
Bus
BD-3M2
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
Unknown
Equipment
?
Power System
2 deployable solar arrays, batteries
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
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