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CSS (MENGTIAN) — Live Satellite Tracking (NORAD 54216)
Track CSS (MENGTIAN) (NORAD catalog number 54216) live on the WatchSat interactive 3D globe above. Its position is propagated in real time from the latest CelesTrak two-line element set using the SGP4/SDP4 orbital model — the same math professional trackers run. It has been on orbit since 2022, launched on the 143rd orbital launch of that year (COSPAR designation 2022-143A). As of this element set it had completed roughly 30,665 revolutions of Earth.
Moving at about 7.68 km/s, CSS (MENGTIAN) flies in low Earth orbit at an altitude of roughly 394 × 397 km, completing one revolution every 92.3 minutes — about 15.6 trips around Earth per day. The orbit is essentially circular (eccentricity 0.0002). Its 41.5° inclination keeps its ground track over the tropics and lower mid-latitudes. Its orbital plane crosses the equator northbound at right ascension 183.6°. Earth's equatorial bulge drifts that plane westward about 6.07° per day.
Orbital elements
| Orbit regime | low Earth orbit (LEO) |
|---|---|
| Perigee × apogee altitude | ~394 km × 397 km |
| Inclination | 41.47° |
| Orbital period | 92.3 min (15.60 rev/day) |
| Eccentricity | 0.00024 |
| Element set epoch | 2026-09-07 |
| COSPAR designation | 2022-143A |
| NORAD catalog number | 54216 |
This page's orbital elements come from the CelesTrak catalog of 2026-09-08. The live 3D view above fetches its own current CelesTrak data when the page opens, through an edge cache that refreshes roughly every 30 minutes.
About the Space Stations group
CSS (MENGTIAN) belongs to the small group of space stations WatchSat tracks — 13 station modules and platforms in the current catalog, including the International Space Station and China's Tiangong. Station orbits are actively maintained: regular reboost burns counter atmospheric drag, which is why their element sets update almost daily. Browse the space stations group live in 3D.
Can you see CSS (MENGTIAN) from the ground?
Often, yes — with the naked eye. Space stations are among the brightest moving objects in the night sky when they cross overhead near dawn or dusk. Check pass predictions for your location for exact rise times, direction and peak elevation.
Related satellites
Nearest catalog neighbors of CSS (MENGTIAN) in the Space Stations group — usually craft from the same or adjacent launches:
- CSS (WENTIAN) (NORAD 53239)
- ISS (NAUKA) (NORAD 49044)
- CSS (TIANHE) (NORAD 48274)
- ISS OBJECT YJ (NORAD 69794)
- ISS OBJECT YL (NORAD 69796)
- ISS OBJECT YM (NORAD 69797)
Browse the Space Stations directory or the full satellite directory · What is a TLE? · WatchSat live globe