IRIDIUM 82

IRIDIUM 82 is an active satellite operated by Iridium Communications (United States), launched on 1998-09-08 from Vandenberg SFB, California. With over 28 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 317 km and 356 km with an inclination of 86.3°. It travels at approximately 27,752 km/h (7.71 km/s), completing one full orbit every 91 minutes — that’s roughly 15.78 orbits per day. It is part of the Iridium constellation group. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is months to ~1 year. Orbital Radar tracks IRIDIUM 82 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

IRIDIUM 82 orbits at an average altitude of 337 km in the lower reaches of Low Earth Orbit, where atmospheric drag is significant and orbital lifetimes are measured in months to a few years. This is the busiest corridor in space — home to crewed spacecraft, rapid-revisit imaging satellites and the densest part of the Starlink constellation. Within ±50 km of IRIDIUM 82’s average altitude, there are currently 1,093 active payloads and 31 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1036, STARLINK-1043, STARLINK-1048. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 6.3% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 86.3°, IRIDIUM 82 passes over latitudes between 86.3°N and 86.3°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. United States operates approximately 12,339 active satellites in total, of which 1,025 share a similar altitude band with IRIDIUM 82.