COSMOS 1860

COSMOS 1860 is an active satellite operated by Russia (CIS), launched on 1987-06-18 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. With over 39 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 906 km and 987 km with an inclination of 65.0°. It travels at approximately 26,570 km/h (7.38 km/s), completing one full orbit every 104 minutes — that’s roughly 13.85 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 1860 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

COSMOS 1860 orbits at an average altitude of 947 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 1860’s average altitude, there are currently 312 active payloads and 1,106 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 65.0°, COSMOS 1860 passes over latitudes between 65.0°N and 65.0°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 1,285 active satellites in total, of which 173 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 1860.