AAU CUBESAT

AAU CUBESAT is an active satellite operated by Denmark, launched on 2003-06-30 from PKMTR. With over 23 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 805 km and 819 km with an inclination of 98.7°. It travels at approximately 26,818 km/h (7.45 km/s), completing one full orbit every 101 minutes — that’s roughly 14.24 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. It is part of the Cubesat constellation group. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. Orbital Radar tracks AAU CUBESAT in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

AAU CUBESAT orbits at an average altitude of 812 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 AAU CUBESAT’s average altitude, there are currently 429 active payloads and 2,308 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include NOAA 20, ONEWEB-0179, ONEWEB-0455. With an inclination of 98.7°, AAU CUBESAT passes over latitudes between 98.7°N and 98.7°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. Denmark operates approximately 9 active satellites in total, of which 2 share a similar altitude band with AAU CUBESAT.