COSMOS 2266

COSMOS 2266 is an active satellite operated by Russia (CIS), launched on 1993-11-02 from PKMTR. With over 33 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 946 km and 1,016 km with an inclination of 83.0°. It travels at approximately 26,507 km/h (7.36 km/s), completing one full orbit every 105 minutes — that’s roughly 13.75 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 2266 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

COSMOS 2266 orbits at an average altitude of 981 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 2266’s average altitude, there are currently 282 active payloads and 951 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 83.0°, COSMOS 2266 passes over latitudes between 83.0°N and 83.0°S, providing near-global coverage including the polar regions. Polar and near-polar orbits are used for reconnaissance, weather monitoring and Earth-observation missions that need to image every part of the planet. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,286 active satellites in total, of which 159 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 2266.