LARES

LARES is an active satellite operated by Italy, launched on 2012-02-13 from Guiana Space Centre, Kourou. After 14 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 1,438 km and 1,450 km with an inclination of 69.5°. It travels at approximately 25,710 km/h (7.14 km/s), completing one full orbit every 115 minutes — that’s roughly 12.55 orbits per day. Its near-circular orbit (eccentricity close to zero) means it maintains a very consistent altitude throughout each revolution. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is thousands of years. Orbital Radar tracks LARES in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

LARES orbits at an average altitude of 1,444 km in the uppermost reaches of Low Earth Orbit. At this altitude, orbital decay is effectively zero without active deorbiting, and coverage footprints are significantly larger than lower LEO, though at the cost of higher latency. Within ±50 km of LARES’s average altitude, there are currently 408 active payloads and 200 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 69.5°, LARES passes over latitudes between 69.5°N and 69.5°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. Italy operates approximately 88 active satellites in total.