HEAD 1 [CAST]
Official name HEAD-5
Alternative name HEAD-2D
Cospar ID 2020-039C
Norad ID 45796
Launch date 2020-06-17
Launch site JSC
Launch vehicle CZ-2D (2)
Country/Organization China
Type application Communication M2M/IoT, traffic monitoring
Operator HEAD Aerospace
RCS size MEDIUM
Decay date 2023-12-07
Shape Box + 2 Pan
Mass (kg) 45
Height (m) 0.5
Width (m) 0.2
Depth (m) 0.2
Span (m^2) 2
Lifetime 2-3 years
Contractors SAST
Equipment high performance AIS-receiver
Power 2 deployable solar arrays, batteries

HEAD or Hede are Chinese commercial satellites by HEAD Aerospace for their Skywalker constellation to provide data collection services and to track ships receiving their AIS (Automated Identification System) signals.

The three-axis stabilized satellites are built by SAST (Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology) and features an high performance AIS-receiver being able to process 2 million AIS short messages per 24 hours and to identify 60000 ships. Future satellites will feature VEDS and ADS-B payloads for global ship detection and airplane monitoring services.

The Skywalker constellation is planned to consist of 48 satellite. 12 of them are to be in Sun-synchronous orbits, while the remainig 36 will form a Walker-δ constellation with 6 different orbital planes in 700 km 50° LEO with an orbit phase difference of 60°.

HEAD 1 was launched as a piggy-back payload on a CZ-4C sharing the ride with the main passenger FY 3D.

Satellite COSPAR Date LS Launch Vehicle Remarks
HEAD-1 2017-072B 2017-11-14 TSC CZ-4C with Feng Yun 3D
OBJECT A 2019-087A 2019-12-07 TSC Kuaizhou-1A with HEAD 2B, TY 16, TY 17, Tianqi 4A, Tianqi 4B
OBJECT B 2019-087B 2019-12-07 TSC Kuaizhou-1A with HEAD 2A, TY 16, TY 17, Tianqi 4A, Tianqi 4B
HEAD-4 2020-034A 2020-05-31 JSC CZ-2D (2) with Gaofen 9-02
HEAD-5 2020-039C 2020-06-17 JSC CZ-2D (2) with Gaofen 9-03, ZDPS 3A
OBJECT B 2022-090B 2022-08-04 TSC CZ-4B with TECMS (Guomang), Minhang Shaonian