The Day America Reached Orbit
Sixty-three years ago, John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth, piloting Friendship 7 through three historic orbits that transformed the Space Race
Launch Date
September 7, 2018
Launch Site
TAISC
Launch Pad
LC9
Launch Vehicle
Chang Zheng 2C
NORAD ID
43610
International Designator
2018-068B
Epoch
Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:10:59 GMT
Apogee
Calculating...
Perigee
Calculating...
Inclination
98.72°
Right Ascension
31.10°
Eccentricity
Calculating...
Argument of Perigee
298.65°
Period
98.86 min
Mean Motion
14.57 rev/day
Latitude
Calculating...
Longitude
Calculating...
Altitude
Calculating...
Velocity
Calculating...
Name
CZ-2C R/B
Alternative Name
CZ-2C Y39 Stage 2
Type
Status
Owner
CASC
Country
China
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
1 43610U 18068B 26185.00763394 .00000255 00000-0 66490-4 0 9992
2 43610 98.7172 31.0983 0085503 298.6512 60.6106 14.56624010415343
Source: Celestrak
Length
8.4
Diameter
3.3
Span
8.4
Dry Mass
3800
Launch Mass
3800
Shape
Cyl
Radar Cross Section
Unknown
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
CZ-2C Stage 2
Purpose
Unknown
Mission
Unknown
Manufacturer
CALT
Life Expectancy
Unknown
Bus
CZ-2 Stage 2
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
Unknown
Equipment
Unknown
Power System
Unknown
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
Learn more about satellites and other related topics.
Sixty-three years ago, John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth, piloting Friendship 7 through three historic orbits that transformed the Space Race
Key developments in space today include significant satellite launches, advancements in space technology, and an exciting crewed suborbital flight. Highlights cover China's satellite internet progress, a promising innovation for solar cells, and recent SpaceX and Blue Origin activities.
SpaceX set to launch 11,000th Starlink satellite on Starlink 17-19 from Vandenberg. NASA moves Crew-12 launch to Feb 11 after ISS medical evacuation. Starship V3 targets mid-March first flight.
SpaceX progresses with Starship Flight 8 preparations, completes investigation into Flight 7 mishap, and prepares for upcoming launches.
Today's brief covers SpaceX's NROL-153 launch, US Space Force activities in Greenland, Starlink's record-breaking flight, and a OneWeb satellite glitch. Plus, our Satellite Spotlight shines on Duchifat-1.
Today's Space Brief covers a major partnership in space tech distribution, China's orbital refueling preparations under U.S. scrutiny, recent U.S. defense budget reveals, and an exciting hyperspectral imagery release from Xplore.
Today's highlights include China's launch of a mystery spysat, Maxar's terrain data for U.S. Army systems, and multiple U.S. defense firms enhancing satellite capabilities.
SpaceX launches Starlink while debuting on Nasdaq at $1.77 trillion valuation. Meanwhile, Senate FY2027 NDAA would dissolve SDA into Space Force, affecting Tranche constellation tracking.