COSMOS 2397

COSMOS 2397 is an active satellite operated by PVO (Russia (CIS)), launched on 2003-04-24 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on the Oko-1 No. 7126 launch. With over 23 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,557 km and 35,907 km with an inclination of 12.8°. It travels at approximately 11,077 km/h (3.08 km/s), completing one full orbit every ~24 hours (geosynchronous) — that’s roughly 1.00 orbits per day. At geostationary altitude, there is no meaningful atmospheric drag — this object will remain in orbit indefinitely unless actively deorbited. Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 2397 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

COSMOS 2397 occupies geostationary orbit at approximately 35,786 km above the equator, where its orbital period matches the Earth’s 24-hour rotation. From the ground, it appears to hover over a fixed point — ideal for broadcast television, weather monitoring and wideband communications. With an inclination of 12.8°, it traces a small figure-of-eight pattern relative to the equator rather than remaining perfectly stationary, which can indicate aging stationkeeping fuel or a deliberate inclined-orbit strategy. Within ±50 km of COSMOS 2397’s average altitude, there are currently 66 active payloads and 36 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,536 active satellites in total, of which 29 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 2397.