25 lines
1.2 KiB
Markdown
25 lines
1.2 KiB
Markdown
---
|
|
title: "Banxing"
|
|
chunk: 1/1
|
|
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banxing"
|
|
category: "reference"
|
|
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
|
|
date_saved: "2026-05-05T12:41:06.594244+00:00"
|
|
instance: "kb-cron"
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
Banxing or BX-1 (Chinese: 伴星; lit. 'Companion Satellite'), is a small Chinese technology development satellite which was deployed from the Shenzhou 7 spacecraft at 11:27 GMT on 27 September 2008. Prior to deployment, the satellite was mounted on top of the Shenzhou 7 orbital module.
|
|
|
|
|
|
== Purpose ==
|
|
Banxing was used to relay images of the Shenzhou 7 spacecraft. Weighing some 40 kilograms, and containing two cameras and communication equipment, it was maneuvered using an ammonia gas-based propulsion system. Following the re-entry of Shenzhou 7, Banxing remained in orbit as part of a formation-flying experiment with the discarded Shenzhou orbital module.
|
|
A few hours after Banxing was launched it and the Shenzhou 7 orbital module passed unusually close to the International Space Station. This provoked some speculation that the experiment was intended to test military anti-satellite interception technology.
|
|
|
|
|
|
== See also ==
|
|
|
|
2008 in spaceflight
|
|
Orbital Express
|
|
|
|
|
|
== References == |