SPIRALE A

SPIRALE A is an active satellite operated by Ministry of Defense/General Delegation for Ordnance (DGA) (France), launched on 2009-02-12 from Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana on the NSS 9 launch. After 17 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 212 km and 16,903 km with an inclination of 2.1°. It travels at approximately 18,602 km/h (5.17 km/s), completing one full orbit every 5 hours 3 minutes — that’s roughly 4.76 orbits per day. Its orbital eccentricity of 0.5590 gives it a noticeably elliptical path, with significant altitude variation between perigee and apogee. Orbital Radar tracks SPIRALE A in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

SPIRALE A orbits at an average altitude of 8,558 km in Medium Earth Orbit, the region between LEO and GEO (2,000–35,786 km). MEO’s higher altitude gives each satellite a much larger ground footprint than LEO, meaning fewer spacecraft are needed for global coverage — but signal latency is higher and radiation from the Van Allen belts is a significant design constraint. Within ±50 km of SPIRALE A’s average altitude, there are currently 1 active payload and 8 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. This is a relatively sparse altitude band, containing less than 1% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 2.1°, SPIRALE A passes over latitudes between 2.1°N and 2.1°S, concentrating coverage over equatorial and near-equatorial regions. Low-inclination orbits maximise revisit rates over specific tropical zones. France operates approximately 125 active satellites in total.