CANX-2

CANX-2 is an active satellite operated by University of Toronto, Institute for Aerospace Studies (Canada), launched on 2008-04-28 from SRI. After 18 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 542 km and 557 km with an inclination of 97.9°. It travels at approximately 27,321 km/h (7.59 km/s), completing one full orbit every 96 minutes — that’s roughly 15.06 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. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~3–10 years. Orbital Radar tracks CANX-2 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

CANX-2 orbits at an average altitude of 550 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 CANX-2’s average altitude, there are currently 3,447 active payloads and 358 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1184, STARLINK-1276, ONEWEB-0050. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 19.8% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.9°, CANX-2 passes over latitudes between 97.9°N and 97.9°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. Canada operates approximately 67 active satellites in total, of which 8 share a similar altitude band with CANX-2.