ODIN

ODIN is an active satellite operated by Swedish National Space Board (Sweden), launched on 2001-02-20 from SVOB. With over 25 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 336 km and 345 km with an inclination of 97.4°. It travels at approximately 27,744 km/h (7.71 km/s), completing one full orbit every 91 minutes — that’s roughly 15.77 orbits per day. Its near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit means it passes over any given point on Earth at approximately the same local solar time, ideal for consistent Earth observation lighting conditions. Its near-circular orbit (eccentricity close to zero) means it maintains a very consistent altitude throughout each revolution. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is months to ~1 year. Orbital Radar tracks ODIN in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

ODIN orbits at an average altitude of 341 km in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), a specialised subset of LEO where the orbital plane precesses to maintain a constant angle relative to the Sun. This provides consistent lighting conditions on every pass — essential for Earth observation, weather monitoring and environmental science. Within ±50 km of ODIN’s average altitude, there are currently 1,118 active payloads and 37 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1036, STARLINK-1043, STARLINK-1048. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 6.4% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.4°, ODIN passes over latitudes between 97.4°N and 97.4°S, providing near-global coverage including the polar regions. Polar and near-polar orbits are used for reconnaissance, weather monitoring and Earth-observation missions that need to image every part of the planet. Sweden operates approximately 15 active satellites in total.