COSMOS 1263

COSMOS 1263 is an active satellite operated by Russia (CIS), launched on 1981-04-09 from PKMTR. With over 45 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 377 km and 1,205 km with an inclination of 82.9°. It travels at approximately 26,857 km/h (7.46 km/s), completing one full orbit every 101 minutes — that’s roughly 14.30 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~25–100 years. Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 1263 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

COSMOS 1263 orbits at an average altitude of 791 km in the mid-LEO band, where atmospheric drag is minimal but radiation exposure remains manageable. Objects at this altitude persist for decades to centuries, making debris mitigation critical. This regime is popular for remote sensing constellations and scientific instruments that need stable, long-duration orbits. Within ±50 km of COSMOS 1263’s average altitude, there are currently 402 active payloads and 2,250 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include NOAA 20, ONEWEB-0179, ONEWEB-0455. With an inclination of 82.9°, COSMOS 1263 passes over latitudes between 82.9°N and 82.9°S, providing near-global coverage including the polar regions. Polar and near-polar orbits are used for reconnaissance, weather monitoring and Earth-observation missions that need to image every part of the planet. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,285 active satellites in total, of which 62 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 1263.