COSPAR ID 2008-047G Launch date 25 September 2008 | Launch mass 40 kilograms (88 lb) Rocket Long March 2F | |
Mission type Spacecraft imagingTechnology Deployment date 27 September 2008, 11:27 UTC Operator China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Similar Chang'e 2, Tiangong‑2, Shenzhou, Tianlian I, Ziyuan III‑01 | ||
Banxing 2 satellite sends hi res photos of tiangong 2 shenzhou 11 in space
Banxing or BX-1 (Chinese: 伴星; literally: "Companion Satellite"), is a small Chinese technology development satellite which was deployed from the Shenzhou 7 spacecraft at 11:27 GMT on 27 September 2008. Prior to deployment, the satellite was mounted on top of the Shenzhou 7 orbital module.
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Purpose
Banxing was used to relay images of the Shenzhou 7 spacecraft. Weighing some 40 kilograms, and containing two cameras and communication equipment, it was maneuvered using an ammonia gas-based propulsion system. Following the re-entry of Shenzhou 7, Banxing remained in orbit as part of a formation-flying experiment with the discarded Shenzhou orbital module.
A few hours after Banxing was launched it and the Shenzhou 7 orbital module passed unusually close to the International Space Station. This provoked some speculation that the experiment was intended to test military anti-satellite interception technology.