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COSMOS 1927

NORAD 18940 Payload LEO 1988-016D ● Active
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Altitude (km)
Speed (km/s)
Latitude
Longitude
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🛰️ Orbital Parameters
Perigee
1454 km
Apogee
1467 km
Inclination
74.0°
Period
115.1 min
Mean Motion
12.50920553 rev/day
TLE Epoch
2026-06-19 05:00:00 UTC
📐 Computed Orbital Characteristics
Avg. Altitude1,461 km
Orbital Velocity25,683 km/h
Velocity7.13 km/s
Orbital Period115 minutes
Orbits / Day12.51
Eccentricity0.0008
Semi-Major Axis7,832 km
Est. Orbital LifetimeThousands of years
🚀 Launch & Identity
Country / Operator
🇷🇺 Russia (CIS)
Launch Date
1988-03-11
Launch Site
PKMTR
Int'l Designator
1988-016D
Object Type
Payload
RCS Size
Medium (0.1–1 m²)
📖 About This Object
COSMOS 1927 is an active satellite operated by Russia (CIS), launched on 1988-03-11 from PKMTR. With over 38 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 1,454 km and 1,467 km with an inclination of 74.0°. It travels at approximately 25,683 km/h (7.13 km/s), completing one full orbit every 115 minutes — that’s roughly 12.51 orbits per day. Its near-circular orbit (eccentricity close to zero) means it maintains a very consistent altitude throughout each revolution. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is thousands of years. Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 1927 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.
🌍 Orbit Context
COSMOS 1927 orbits at an average altitude of 1,461 km in the uppermost reaches of Low Earth Orbit. At this altitude, orbital decay is effectively zero without active deorbiting, and coverage footprints are significantly larger than lower LEO, though at the cost of higher latency. Within ±50 km of COSMOS 1927’s average altitude, there are currently 387 active payloads and 241 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 74.0°, COSMOS 1927 passes over latitudes between 74.0°N and 74.0°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 350 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 1927.
🔗 Cosmos (Military/Government) Series

This satellite carries the Cosmos designation, used by Russia (and formerly the Soviet Union) as a generic identifier for military and government spacecraft. The Cosmos series encompasses reconnaissance, signals intelligence (SIGINT), early warning, navigation, communications and scientific payloads. Many Cosmos satellites have classified missions with limited publicly available information.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions
COSMOS 1927 orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 1,454 km (perigee) and 1,467 km (apogee), with an average altitude of approximately 1,461 km. It completes one orbit every 115 minutes, travelling at approximately 25,683 km/h (15,959 mph).
COSMOS 1927 is operated by Russia (CIS). It is catalogued by the U.S. Space Surveillance Network under NORAD ID 18940. You can track COSMOS 1927 in real time on Orbital Radar’s live tracker or browse all operators in the operator directory.
COSMOS 1927 was launched on 1988-03-11 from PKMTR. At its current altitude, the estimated remaining orbital lifetime is: thousands of years. View the full satellite launch log.
Yes — Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 1927 (NORAD ID 18940) using the latest TLE (two-line element set) data from Space-Track and CelesTrak. Open the live tracker to see its current position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated in real time. You can also browse the satellite directory to find other tracked objects.
COSMOS 1927 travels at approximately 25,683 km/h (15,959 mph) — roughly 7.13 km/s. It completes 12.51 orbits per day, meaning the crew or instruments aboard (if any) would experience approximately 25 sunrises and sunsets every 24 hours.