missions

HY-2D

HY-2D (Hai Yang 2D) is an operational Chinese ocean-observation satellite operated by the National Satellite Ocean Application Service (NSOAS), launched on 19 May 2021 from Jiuquan. The mission flies in a drifting orbit at approximately 973 km altitude with 66 degree inclination, providing a 10-day repeat cycle for global ocean dynamic environment monitoring.^[1]

The payload stack comprises a radar altimeter (ALT), a microwave scatterometer (HSCAT), a calibration microwave radiometer (CMR), a DORIS receiver for precise orbit determination, and a laser retroreflector array (LRA). HY-2D forms part of China's HY-2 series alongside HY-2B and HY-2C, supporting sea surface height measurement, ocean wind retrieval, and passive microwave sea surface characterisation.^[2]^[3]

Full specification

All fields

current status	operational
operator	National Satellite Ocean Application Service
launch vehicle	casc-long-march-4b
Launched	2021-05-19
orbit type	Drifting orbit, approximately 973 km altitude, 66 degree inclination
revisit days	10
tasking supported	false
current geographic priority	Global ocean dynamic environment observations
Last updated	2026-06-14
claim status	agency-sourced

Where this fits, supply chain

Compositional position

this ——— HY-2D Radar Altimeter payload

this ——— HY Scatterometer payload

this ——— HY-2D Calibration Microwave Radiometer payload

this ——— doris-hy-2d payload

this ——— lra-hy-2d payload

Radar altimetry - sea surface height and inland water levels → demonstrated HY-2D Radar Altimeter

Radar scatterometry → demonstrated HY Scatterometer

Multi-frequency microwave imaging radiometry → demonstrated HY-2D Calibration Microwave Radiometer

Sources

[1]HY-2D satellite launch newsoperator press2026-06-14
[2]WMO OSCAR satellite record: HY-2Dcommunity2026-06-14
[3]AVISO+ mission page: HY-2Dagency doc2026-06-14

Cite https://eo-atlas.org/missions/hy-2d Markdown twin → Field definitions →