| Operator | CASC |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Spacecraft imaging Technology development |
| Launch date | 13:10, 25 September 2008 |
| Carrier rocket | Long March 2F |
| COSPAR ID | 2008-47G |
| Mass | 40 kilograms |
| Orbital elements | |
| Regime | LEO |
| Inclination | 42.4° |
| Apoapsis | 338 kilometres |
| Periapsis | 329 kilometres |
Banxing or BX-1 (Chinese: 伴星; literally "Companion Satellite"),[1] is a small Chinese technology development satellite which was deployed from the Shenzhou 7 spacecraft at 11:27 GMT on 27 September 2008.[1] Prior to deployment, the satellite was mounted on top of the Shenzhou 7 orbital module.
Banxing was used to relay images of the Shenzhou 7 spacecraft.[2] Weighing some 40 kilograms, and containing two cameras and communication equipment, it was maneuvered using an ammonia gas-based propulsion system.[3] Following the re-entry of Shenzhou 7, Banxing remained in orbit as part of a formation-flying experiment with the discarded Shenzhou orbital module.[4]
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.[3]
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