SAUDISAT 1C

SAUDISAT 1C is an active satellite operated by Space Research Institute, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (SAUD), launched on 2002-12-20 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. With over 24 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 567 km and 672 km with an inclination of 64.5°. It travels at approximately 27,184 km/h (7.55 km/s), completing one full orbit every 97 minutes — that’s roughly 14.83 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~10–25 years. Orbital Radar tracks SAUDISAT 1C in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

SAUDISAT 1C orbits at an average altitude of 620 km in the mid-LEO band, where atmospheric drag is minimal but radiation exposure remains manageable. Objects at this altitude persist for decades to centuries, making debris mitigation critical. This regime is popular for remote sensing constellations and scientific instruments that need stable, long-duration orbits. Within ±50 km of SAUDISAT 1C’s average altitude, there are currently 1,538 active payloads and 771 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0050, STARLINK-3090, STARLINK-3077. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 8.8% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 64.5°, SAUDISAT 1C 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 7 share a similar altitude band with SAUDISAT 1C.