Mysterious ‘Pips’ from the Chinese JILIN Constellation

Why is an imaging satellite constellation acting like a mobile-satellite communications system?

China’s first self-developed commercial remote sensing satellite system known as JILIN is sending strange wideband data pips in a quiet piece of spectrum on L-band. The JILIN system is operated by Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company in Beijing. No public references have been found by the author about what these emissions from the satellites purpose is.

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Chang’e 5 Returns to the Moon

Off Station

In mid August 2021, the Chang’e 5 service module without any notice was noted to not be on station near the Sun-Earth L1 point where it had been since mid-March 2021. Observers were quick to reacquire the spacecraft’s X-band beacon and it was not long before it was clear from the data that Chang’e 5 was headed back to the Earth-Moon system where it would ultimately enter a Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) of the Moon.

Basic Orbital Dynamics

There has been a recent surge in interest in a software package written by Cees Bassa known as ‘strf’, Sattools Radio Frequency.  Once over the initial installation and basic usage hump users quickly reach a wall about how to use the software because of a limited understanding of orbital dynamics.  I hope this brief post will help users understand some of the basic concepts so they can use strf as a tool.

Eating Static from the Moon…

Xinhua reported today that Chang’e 4 entered lunar orbit at about 08:39 UTC on Dec 12th.  No amateur observers reported observing the event; however, three highly competent amateur observers in Europe shared observations hours after the lunar orbit insertion burn was executed. No evidence of a signal from Chang’e 4 has been noted since my loss of signal earlier on Dec 12th.  I later conducted similar observations and searched around the Moon for the signal and found nothing we can relate to Chang’e 4. Only signals from Chang’e 5T-1 and Queqiao where noted.

[UPDATED – Dec 13th, 2018]