• Forum
• SITREP
• Military
• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security

• Space

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Public Eye

SJ-6 Signals Intelligence

The Shijian (“Prototype” or "Experiment") series is a long-running naval signals reconnaisance satellite, under a cover story of a space-science and technology demonstrator program. The spacecraft are reported to carry radiation detectors and other space environment-related instruments. Most websites name them as "super secret" missions, without specifying payload. Chinese news agencies name them as "research" missions, again without payload details. But apart from a single report of radiation dose detected by Shijian-6A during 2004-9-14 to 2007-1-21, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of research published results.

Few details about the satellites have been revealed by Chinese media, and the launch dates have been announced only 24 hours in advance. There are no published photographs of these spacecraft, nor have any scientific or technical publications resulted from these missions. While the rest of the SJ spacecraft have typically been one-off scientific or engineering experiments, the launch of six spacecraft in rapid successtion is indicative of the deployment of an operational capability. The UCS Satellite Database reports that they are signals-intelligence or electronic-intelligence satellites.

Dragon in Space reports that Satellite A was developed by SAST and Satellite B was developed by China Spacesat Co Ltd of CAST, while the onboard mission payload was developed by China Electronic Technology Group Corporation (CETC). Astronautix reports that the two satellites were built by the Shanghai Academy of Space Flight Technology and Dongfanghong Satellite Company under subcontract to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, while the scientific instruments aboard the satellites were mainly manufactured by the China Electronics Technology Corporation. Xinxhua reported that the two satellites were made by the Shanghai Academy of Space Flight Technology and Dongfanghong Satellite Co. under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation while the geospace probing systems aboard the satellites were mainly manufactured by the China Electronics Technology Corporation.

The first satellite in the series, Shijian 1, launched in 1971, was the second satellite launched by China (the first, launched in 1970, was called Dongfanghong and carried only a radio transmitter). By 2011, nine satellites in the series are operating: Shijian 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E, 6F, 7, 11-01, and 12. The Shijian 6 series was launched into LEO in three pairs between September 2004 and October 2008. According to the Chinese government, the Shijian 6 mission is “exploration of space environment, radiation in space and their influence, parameters of physical environment of the space, and other related space experiments” (“Shijian Series,” 2010).

SJ 6A and SJ 6B were Chinese "space radiation monitoring" satellites that were launched by a Long March 4-B rocket from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi province in northern China at 23:14 UT on 8 September 2004. With a designed life of at least two years, the two satellites "would be used to probe space environment, radiation, its effects and space physical environment parameters, and conduct other related space experiments."

Shijian 6C and 6D wer two Chinese (PRC) satellites that was launched by a Long March 4B rocket from Taiyuan launch center in Shanxi province on 23 October 2006 at 23:34 UT (07:34 a.m., 24 October). They were said to carry radiation detectors and other space environment-related instruments. Shijian 6E and Shijian 6F were the third pair of Chinese military satellites that were launched by a Long March 4B rocket from Taiyuan launch center at 01:15 UT on 25 October 2008. Most websites name them as "super secret" missions, without specifying payload. Chinese news agencies name them as "research" missions, again without payload details. Shijian 6G and Shijian 6H, also known as SJ 6G and SJ 6H, respectively, are Chinese satellites launched from Taiyuan on 06 October 2010 at 00:49 UT by a Long March 4B rocket. The satellites were the fourth pair of Shijian 6 satellites to be launched.

The Shijian 6 series is similar to the US Poppy program, the successor to the first American electronic intelligence satellite, known as "Grab" (Galactic Radiation and Background). Poppy was designed to detect land-based radar emitters and support ocean surveillance. Poppy, launched Naval Ocean Surveillance System (NOSS) precursors seven times during the 1960's and early 1970's. The final four satellites were launched in December 1971, aboard a Thorad rocket, from Vandenberg AFB. They operated in pairs, within the same orbital plane. Intelligence from GRAB and POPPY provided the location and capabilities of Soviet radar sites and ocean surveillance information to the US Navy and for use by the USAF. This effort provided significant ELINT support to US forces throughout the war in Vietnam. NRO launched six more Poppy satellites into orbit throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s. The satellites grew in size from a modest 20x24 inches and 55 pounds to 27x34 inches and 282 pounds.