RESURS O1

RESURS O1 is an active satellite operated by Russia (CIS), launched on 1994-11-04 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. With over 32 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 612 km and 615 km with an inclination of 97.7°. It travels at approximately 27,196 km/h (7.55 km/s), completing one full orbit every 97 minutes — that’s roughly 14.85 orbits per day. Its near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit means it passes over any given point on Earth at approximately the same local solar time, ideal for consistent Earth observation lighting conditions. 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 ~10–25 years. Orbital Radar tracks RESURS O1 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

RESURS O1 orbits at an average altitude of 614 km in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), a specialised subset of LEO where the orbital plane precesses to maintain a constant angle relative to the Sun. This provides consistent lighting conditions on every pass — essential for Earth observation, weather monitoring and environmental science. Within ±50 km of RESURS O1’s average altitude, there are currently 1,572 active payloads and 734 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0050, STARLINK-3090, STARLINK-3077. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 9% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.7°, RESURS O1 passes over latitudes between 97.7°N and 97.7°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 1,285 active satellites in total, of which 23 share a similar altitude band with RESURS O1.