The Day Humanity First Touched an Asteroid
Twenty-four years ago, a spacecraft designed only to orbit made history with an improvised landing on asteroid Eros, marking humanitys first controlled touchdown on a small celestial body
Launch Date
May 17, 2023
Launch Site
XICLF
Launch Pad
LC2
Launch Vehicle
Chang Zheng 3B
NORAD ID
56564
International Designator
2023-066A
Epoch
Sun, 19 Jul 2026 18:58:31 GMT
Apogee
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Perigee
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Inclination
0.46°
Right Ascension
340.29°
Eccentricity
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Argument of Perigee
184.20°
Period
1436.10 min
Mean Motion
1.00 rev/day
Latitude
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Longitude
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Altitude
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Velocity
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Name
BEIDOU-3 G4
Alternative Name
Beidou DW 56
Type
Status
Owner
CNSA
Country
China
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
1 56564U 23066A 26200.79063918 -.00000284 00000+0 00000+0 0 9999
2 56564 0.4568 340.2946 0005034 184.1997 197.7768 01.00271366 11722
Source: Celestrak
Length
3
Diameter
1.7
Span
18
Dry Mass
1700
Launch Mass
3060
Shape
Box + 2 Pan
Radar Cross Section
Unknown
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
Beidou-3 G4
Purpose
Navigation
Mission
Navigation
Manufacturer
CAST
Life Expectancy
8 years
Bus
DFH-3B
Configuration
DFH-3B Bus
Motor
FY-25
Equipment
?
Power System
2 deployable solar arrays, batteries
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
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Twenty-four years ago, a spacecraft designed only to orbit made history with an improvised landing on asteroid Eros, marking humanitys first controlled touchdown on a small celestial body
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