MOLNIYA 3-20

MOLNIYA 3-20 is an active satellite operated by NPO PM / MSvyaz (Russia (CIS)), launched on 1983-03-11 from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia on the Molniya-3 No. 34 launch. With over 43 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 1,234 km and 39,117 km with an inclination of 62.0°. It travels at approximately 13,950 km/h (3.87 km/s), completing one full orbit every 11 hours 58 minutes — that’s roughly 2.01 orbits per day. Its orbital eccentricity of 0.7135 gives it a noticeably elliptical path, with significant altitude variation between perigee and apogee. Orbital Radar tracks MOLNIYA 3-20 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

MOLNIYA 3-20 orbits at an average altitude of 20,176 km in Medium Earth Orbit, the region between LEO and GEO (2,000–35,786 km). MEO’s higher altitude gives each satellite a much larger ground footprint than LEO, meaning fewer spacecraft are needed for global coverage — but signal latency is higher and radiation from the Van Allen belts is a significant design constraint. Within ±50 km of MOLNIYA 3-20’s average altitude, there are currently 103 active payloads and 14 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 62.0°, MOLNIYA 3-20 passes over latitudes between 62.0°N and 62.0°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 1,536 active satellites in total, of which 54 share a similar altitude band with MOLNIYA 3-20.