GONETS D1M 1

GONETS D1M 1 is an active satellite operated by Russia (CIS), launched on 2005-12-21 from PKMTR. With over 21 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 1,436 km and 1,449 km with an inclination of 82.5°. It travels at approximately 25,713 km/h (7.14 km/s), completing one full orbit every 115 minutes — that’s roughly 12.55 orbits per day. 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 thousands of years. Orbital Radar tracks GONETS D1M 1 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

GONETS D1M 1 orbits at an average altitude of 1,443 km in the uppermost reaches of Low Earth Orbit. At this altitude, orbital decay is effectively zero without active deorbiting, and coverage footprints are significantly larger than lower LEO, though at the cost of higher latency. Within ±50 km of GONETS D1M 1’s average altitude, there are currently 387 active payloads and 196 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 82.5°, GONETS D1M 1 passes over latitudes between 82.5°N and 82.5°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. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,286 active satellites in total, of which 349 share a similar altitude band with GONETS D1M 1.