QZS-7

QZS-7 is an active satellite operated by Japan, launched on 2026-08-10 from TNSTA. As a relatively recent addition to the catalogue, its orbital elements are well-characterised. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 390 km and 35,372 km with an inclination of 22.9°. It travels at approximately 14,595 km/h (4.05 km/s), completing one full orbit every 10 hours 27 minutes — that’s roughly 2.30 orbits per day. Its orbital eccentricity of 0.7212 gives it a noticeably elliptical path, with significant altitude variation between perigee and apogee. Orbital Radar tracks QZS-7 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

QZS-7 orbits at an average altitude of 17,881 km in Medium Earth Orbit, the region between LEO and GEO (2,000–35,786 km). MEO’s higher altitude gives each satellite a much larger ground footprint than LEO, meaning fewer spacecraft are needed for global coverage — but signal latency is higher and radiation from the Van Allen belts is a significant design constraint. Within ±50 km of QZS-7’s average altitude, there are currently 2 active payloads and 18 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. This is a relatively sparse altitude band, containing less than 1% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 22.9°, QZS-7 passes over latitudes between 22.9°N and 22.9°S, covering the tropical and temperate zones where most of the world’s population resides. Low-to-mid inclination orbits are efficient to reach from equatorial and mid-latitude launch sites. Japan operates approximately 202 active satellites in total.