FREJA

FREJA is an active satellite operated by Sweden, launched on 1992-10-06 from Jiuquan, China. With over 34 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 589 km and 1,683 km with an inclination of 63.0°. It travels at approximately 26,232 km/h (7.29 km/s), completing one full orbit every 108 minutes — that’s roughly 13.33 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~500–1,000 years. Orbital Radar tracks FREJA in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

FREJA orbits at an average altitude of 1,136 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 FREJA’s average altitude, there are currently 387 active payloads and 343 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0250, ONEWEB-0321, ONEWEB-0334. With an inclination of 63.0°, FREJA passes over latitudes between 63.0°N and 63.0°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. Sweden operates approximately 15 active satellites in total.