DUMSAT

DUMSAT is an active satellite operated by Lavochkin (Russia (CIS)), launched on 2000-02-08 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on the Dummy satellite launch. With over 26 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 562 km and 588 km with an inclination of 64.8°. It travels at approximately 27,271 km/h (7.58 km/s), completing one full orbit every 96 minutes — that’s roughly 14.97 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~3–10 years. Orbital Radar tracks DUMSAT in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

DUMSAT orbits at an average altitude of 575 km in the core of Low Earth Orbit, the most heavily utilised altitude band. The balance of moderate drag (limiting debris accumulation) and short signal path (enabling low-latency links and high-resolution imaging) makes this regime the default for most commercial and government missions. Within ±50 km of DUMSAT’s average altitude, there are currently 1,093 active payloads and 569 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0050, STARLINK-3005, STARLINK-3055. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 5.8% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 64.8°, DUMSAT passes over latitudes between 64.8°N and 64.8°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,547 active satellites in total, of which 32 share a similar altitude band with DUMSAT.