KIKU 4 (ETS 3)

KIKU 4 (ETS 3) is an active satellite operated by Japan, launched on 1982-09-03 from TNSTA. With over 44 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 987 km and 1,003 km with an inclination of 44.6°. It travels at approximately 26,482 km/h (7.36 km/s), completing one full orbit every 105 minutes — that’s roughly 13.71 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. Orbital Radar tracks KIKU 4 (ETS 3) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

KIKU 4 (ETS 3) orbits at an average altitude of 995 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 KIKU 4 (ETS 3)’s average altitude, there are currently 253 active payloads and 893 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 44.6°, KIKU 4 (ETS 3) passes over latitudes between 44.6°N and 44.6°S, covering the tropical and temperate zones where most of the world’s population resides. Low-to-mid inclination orbits are efficient to reach from equatorial and mid-latitude launch sites. Japan operates approximately 189 active satellites in total, of which 2 share a similar altitude band with KIKU 4 (ETS 3).