AMSAT OSCAR 40

AMSAT OSCAR 40 is an active satellite operated by Germany, launched on 2000-11-16 from Guiana Space Centre, Kourou. With over 26 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO) at altitudes between 1,129 km and 58,691 km with an inclination of 9.4°. It travels at approximately 11,933 km/h (3.31 km/s), completing one full orbit every 19 hours 7 minutes — that’s roughly 1.26 orbits per day. Its orbital eccentricity of 0.7933 gives it a noticeably elliptical path, with significant altitude variation between perigee and apogee. Orbital Radar tracks AMSAT OSCAR 40 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

AMSAT OSCAR 40 follows a Highly Elliptical Orbit, sweeping between 1,129 km (perigee) and 58,691 km (apogee). It spends most of its 19 hours 7 minutes orbital period near apogee, effectively loitering over a region of interest before rapidly sweeping through perigee — a profile used for high-latitude communications (Molniya orbits), early-warning systems and magnetospheric science. With an inclination of 9.4°, AMSAT OSCAR 40 passes over latitudes between 9.4°N and 9.4°S, concentrating coverage over equatorial and near-equatorial regions. Low-inclination orbits maximise revisit rates over specific tropical zones. Germany operates approximately 80 active satellites in total.