SAUDISAT 1A

SAUDISAT 1A is an active satellite operated by SAUD, launched on 2000-09-26 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. With over 26 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 557 km and 619 km with an inclination of 64.5°. It travels at approximately 27,246 km/h (7.57 km/s), completing one full orbit every 96 minutes — that’s roughly 14.93 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~3–10 years. Orbital Radar tracks SAUDISAT 1A in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

SAUDISAT 1A orbits at an average altitude of 588 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 SAUDISAT 1A’s average altitude, there are currently 3,210 active payloads and 592 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0050, STARLINK-3005, STARLINK-3090. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 18.4% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 64.5°, SAUDISAT 1A passes over latitudes between 64.5°N and 64.5°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. SAUD operates approximately 15 active satellites in total, of which 4 share a similar altitude band with SAUDISAT 1A.