STERKH

STERKH is an active satellite operated by Russia (CIS), launched on 2009-07-21 from PKMTR. After 17 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 914 km and 941 km with an inclination of 83.0°. It travels at approximately 26,604 km/h (7.39 km/s), completing one full orbit every 104 minutes — that’s roughly 13.90 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. Orbital Radar tracks STERKH in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

STERKH orbits at an average altitude of 928 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 STERKH’s average altitude, there are currently 244 active payloads and 1,142 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 83.0°, STERKH passes over latitudes between 83.0°N and 83.0°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 1,285 active satellites in total, of which 72 share a similar altitude band with STERKH.