LAGEOS 2

LAGEOS 2 is an active satellite operated by Italy, launched on 1992-10-22 from Cape Canaveral, Florida on the OV-102 Research/Med dep launch. With over 34 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 5,616 km and 5,951 km with an inclination of 52.7°. It travels at approximately 20,616 km/h (5.73 km/s), completing one full orbit every 3 hours 42 minutes — that’s roughly 6.47 orbits per day. Orbital Radar tracks LAGEOS 2 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

LAGEOS 2 orbits at an average altitude of 5,784 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 LAGEOS 2’s average altitude, there are currently 1 active payload and 5 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. This is a relatively sparse altitude band, containing less than 1% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 52.7°, LAGEOS 2 passes over latitudes between 52.7°N and 52.7°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. Italy operates approximately 89 active satellites in total.