MOLNIYA 3-31

MOLNIYA 3-31 is an active satellite operated by UNKS / MSvyaz (Russia (CIS)), launched on 1987-01-22 from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia on the Molniya-3 No. 42 launch. With over 39 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 762 km and 39,605 km with an inclination of 61.9°. It travels at approximately 13,948 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 0.7314 gives it a noticeably elliptical path, with significant altitude variation between perigee and apogee. Orbital Radar tracks MOLNIYA 3-31 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

MOLNIYA 3-31 orbits at an average altitude of 20,184 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 3-31’s average altitude, there are currently 105 active payloads and 15 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 61.9°, MOLNIYA 3-31 passes over latitudes between 61.9°N and 61.9°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 1,537 active satellites in total, of which 56 share a similar altitude band with MOLNIYA 3-31.