OSCAR 36 (UOSAT 12)

OSCAR 36 (UOSAT 12) is an active satellite operated by United Kingdom, launched on 1999-04-21 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 597 km and 635 km with an inclination of 64.6°. It travels at approximately 27,191 km/h (7.55 km/s), completing one full orbit every 97 minutes — that’s roughly 14.84 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~10–25 years. Orbital Radar tracks OSCAR 36 (UOSAT 12) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

OSCAR 36 (UOSAT 12) orbits at an average altitude of 616 km in the mid-LEO band, where atmospheric drag is minimal but radiation exposure remains manageable. Objects at this altitude persist for decades to centuries, making debris mitigation critical. This regime is popular for remote sensing constellations and scientific instruments that need stable, long-duration orbits. Within ±50 km of OSCAR 36 (UOSAT 12)’s average altitude, there are currently 1,558 active payloads and 739 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 8.9% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 64.6°, OSCAR 36 (UOSAT 12) passes over latitudes between 64.6°N and 64.6°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. United Kingdom operates approximately 720 active satellites in total, of which 17 share a similar altitude band with OSCAR 36 (UOSAT 12).