COSMOS 972

COSMOS 972 is an active satellite operated by Russia (CIS), launched on 1977-12-27 from PKMTR. With over 49 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 711 km and 1,152 km with an inclination of 75.8°. It travels at approximately 26,597 km/h (7.39 km/s), completing one full orbit every 104 minutes — that’s roughly 13.89 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 972 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

COSMOS 972 orbits at an average altitude of 932 km in the upper LEO band, where atmospheric drag is negligible and objects can persist for centuries to millennia. This altitude is used by broadband constellations like OneWeb and by scientific missions requiring stable orbits far from the densest debris bands. Within ±50 km of COSMOS 972’s average altitude, there are currently 277 active payloads and 1,139 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 75.8°, COSMOS 972 passes over latitudes between 75.8°N and 75.8°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,285 active satellites in total, of which 105 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 972.