COSMOS 1249

COSMOS 1249 is an active satellite operated by Russia (CIS), launched on 1981-03-05 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. With over 45 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 890 km and 989 km with an inclination of 65.0°. It travels at approximately 26,583 km/h (7.38 km/s), completing one full orbit every 104 minutes — that’s roughly 13.87 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 1249 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

COSMOS 1249 orbits at an average altitude of 940 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 1249’s average altitude, there are currently 326 active payloads and 1,130 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 65.0°, COSMOS 1249 passes over latitudes between 65.0°N and 65.0°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 1,286 active satellites in total, of which 157 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 1249.