COSMOS 2471 (GLONASS)

COSMOS 2471 (GLONASS) is an active satellite operated by Ministry of Defense (Russia (CIS)), launched on 2011-02-26 from PKMTR. After 15 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 19,125 km and 19,165 km with an inclination of 65.4°. It travels at approximately 14,229 km/h (3.95 km/s), completing one full orbit every 11 hours 16 minutes — that’s roughly 2.13 orbits per day. It is part of the Glo Ops constellation group. Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 2471 (GLONASS) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

COSMOS 2471 (GLONASS) orbits at an average altitude of 19,145 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 COSMOS 2471 (GLONASS)’s average altitude, there are currently 142 active payloads and 43 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include COSMOS 1414 (GLONASS), COSMOS 1490 (GLONASS), COSMOS 1492 (GLONASS). With an inclination of 65.4°, COSMOS 2471 (GLONASS) passes over latitudes between 65.4°N and 65.4°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 1,285 active satellites in total, of which 142 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 2471 (GLONASS).