COSMOS 1176

COSMOS 1176 is an active satellite operated by Russia (CIS), launched on 1980-04-29 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. With over 46 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 872 km and 963 km with an inclination of 64.8°. It travels at approximately 26,623 km/h (7.40 km/s), completing one full orbit every 103 minutes — that’s roughly 13.93 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 1176 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

COSMOS 1176 orbits at an average altitude of 918 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 1176’s average altitude, there are currently 223 active payloads and 1,145 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 64.8°, COSMOS 1176 passes over latitudes between 64.8°N and 64.8°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 53 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 1176.