GLOBALSTAR M044

GLOBALSTAR M044 is an active satellite operated by Globalstar (Globalstar), launched on 1999-04-15 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. With over 27 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 1,720 km and 1,730 km with an inclination of 52.0°. It travels at approximately 25,260 km/h (7.02 km/s), completing one full orbit every 2 hours 1 minutes — that’s roughly 11.90 orbits per day. 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 thousands of years. Orbital Radar tracks GLOBALSTAR M044 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

GLOBALSTAR M044 orbits at an average altitude of 1,725 km in the uppermost reaches of Low Earth Orbit. At this altitude, orbital decay is effectively zero without active deorbiting, and coverage footprints are significantly larger than lower LEO, though at the cost of higher latency. Within ±50 km of GLOBALSTAR M044’s average altitude, there are currently 14 active payloads and 44 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 52.0°, GLOBALSTAR M044 passes over latitudes between 52.0°N and 52.0°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. Globalstar operates approximately 84 active satellites in total, of which 10 share a similar altitude band with GLOBALSTAR M044.