COSMOS 1299

COSMOS 1299 is an active satellite operated by Russia (CIS), launched on 1981-08-24 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 916 km and 973 km with an inclination of 65.1°. It travels at approximately 26,574 km/h (7.38 km/s), completing one full orbit every 104 minutes — that’s roughly 13.86 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 1299 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

COSMOS 1299 orbits at an average altitude of 945 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 1299’s average altitude, there are currently 324 active payloads and 1,109 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 65.1°, COSMOS 1299 passes over latitudes between 65.1°N and 65.1°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 171 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 1299.