FREGAT RB/CLUSTER 2

FREGAT RB/CLUSTER 2 is an active satellite operated by Russia (CIS), launched on 2000-03-20 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. With over 26 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 561 km and 17,171 km with an inclination of 65.1°. It travels at approximately 18,413 km/h (5.11 km/s), completing one full orbit every 5 hours 12 minutes — that’s roughly 4.61 orbits per day. Its orbital eccentricity of 0.5451 gives it a noticeably elliptical path, with significant altitude variation between perigee and apogee. Orbital Radar tracks FREGAT RB/CLUSTER 2 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

FREGAT RB/CLUSTER 2 orbits at an average altitude of 8,866 km in Medium Earth Orbit, the region between LEO and GEO (2,000–35,786 km). MEO’s higher altitude gives each satellite a much larger ground footprint than LEO, meaning fewer spacecraft are needed for global coverage — but signal latency is higher and radiation from the Van Allen belts is a significant design constraint. Within ±50 km of FREGAT RB/CLUSTER 2’s average altitude, there are currently 1 active payload and 8 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 65.1°, FREGAT RB/CLUSTER 2 passes over latitudes between 65.1°N and 65.1°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 1,285 active satellites in total.