US space trackers have spotted a new pattern in China’s classified TJS series, and it points to electronic espionage rather than relay duties.
Two spacecraft launched on a Long March 6A rocket from Taiyuan late July 29 were quickly cataloged by the US Space Force at about 1,153 kilometers altitude, inclined 64.8 degrees. Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, a well-known space activity tracker, linked the orbit to time-delay-of-arrival electronic intelligence. He compared the pair to the US Navy’s classified NOSS network.
Previous Chinese missions flying this profile carried Yaogan cover names. TJS-27A and TJS-27B, built respectively by CAST and SAST, are the first in the series to take the orbit.
China’s official statements stayed vague, describing the pair as test satellites for communications, broadcasting and data transmission. Analysts, however, have long linked the TJS line to signals intelligence, early warning and satellite inspection work for the People’s Liberation Army. TJS-3, for example, released a subsatellite in 2018 that maneuvered near US spacecraft.
The mission followed a separate launch hours earlier that placed Tianlian-3 (01), the first of a new generation of data relay satellites, into geostationary transfer orbit. The new relay, based on the DFH-4E bus, will serve the Tiangong station and crewed missions, filling the role the US system TDRSS plays for American programs.
Together the flights were China’s 52nd and 53rd launches of 2026, keeping Beijing on pace to top 100 orbital launches in a single year for the first time.
