TJS 3 (Tongxin Jishu Shiyan) is a Chinese geostationary satellite of unknown purpose.
The lack of public information has lead to the suspiction, that this satellite has a military mission. It has been speculated, that the satellite might be in fact a military SIGINT or early warning satellite. Reportedly the satellite is built on the SAST-5000 all electric bus and features a multi-frequency and high speed communications payload. A
TJS 3 was launched in December 2018 on a CZ-3C/G2 rocket. It entered geostationary orbit after a few days, which does not match an all electric propulsion. A seperated object was thought to be a chemical apogee kick stage, but as this object maneuvered after separation, it is considered a subsatellite.
| Nation: | China |
|---|---|
| Type / Application: | Communication ? |
| Operator: | |
| Contractors: | CAST |
| Equipment: | |
| Configuration: | SAST-5000 |
| Propulsion: | |
| Power: | 2 deployable solar arrays, batteries |
| Lifetime: | |
| Mass: | 2700 kg |
| Orbit: | GEO |
| Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TJS 3 | 2018-110A | 25.12.2018 | Xi LC-3 | CZ-3C/G2 | ||
| TJS 3 Subsatellite | 2018-110C | 25.12.2018 | Xi LC-3 | CZ-3C/G2 |