MEGSAT 1

MEGSAT 1 is an active satellite operated by Italy, 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 521 km and 579 km with an inclination of 64.5°. It travels at approximately 27,320 km/h (7.59 km/s), completing one full orbit every 96 minutes — that’s roughly 15.06 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~3–10 years. Orbital Radar tracks MEGSAT 1 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

MEGSAT 1 orbits at an average altitude of 550 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 MEGSAT 1’s average altitude, there are currently 3,447 active payloads and 358 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1184, STARLINK-1276, ONEWEB-0050. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 19.8% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 64.5°, MEGSAT 1 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. Italy operates approximately 88 active satellites in total, of which 50 share a similar altitude band with MEGSAT 1.