COSMOS 203

COSMOS 203 is an active satellite operated by OKB-10 (Russia (CIS)), launched on 1968-02-20 from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia on the Sfera launch. After more than 58 years in orbit, it is one of the longest-surviving objects in the space catalogue. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 1,183 km and 1,200 km with an inclination of 74.0°. It travels at approximately 26,136 km/h (7.26 km/s), completing one full orbit every 109 minutes — that’s roughly 13.18 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~500–1,000 years. Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 203 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

COSMOS 203 orbits at an average altitude of 1,192 km in the upper LEO band, where atmospheric drag is negligible and objects can persist for centuries to millennia. This altitude is used by broadband constellations like OneWeb and by scientific missions requiring stable orbits far from the densest debris bands. Within ±50 km of COSMOS 203’s average altitude, there are currently 887 active payloads and 286 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0012, ONEWEB-0010, ONEWEB-0008. With an inclination of 74.0°, COSMOS 203 passes over latitudes between 74.0°N and 74.0°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,553 active satellites in total, of which 15 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 203.