CASSIOPE

CASSIOPE is an active satellite operated by Canadian Space Agency (Canada), launched on 2013-09-29 from Vandenberg SFB, California. After 13 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 289 km and 691 km with an inclination of 80.9°. It travels at approximately 27,440 km/h (7.62 km/s), completing one full orbit every 94 minutes — that’s roughly 15.25 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~1–3 years. Orbital Radar tracks CASSIOPE in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

CASSIOPE orbits at an average altitude of 490 km in the core of Low Earth Orbit, the most heavily utilised altitude band. The balance of moderate drag (limiting debris accumulation) and short signal path (enabling low-latency links and high-resolution imaging) makes this regime the default for most commercial and government missions. Within ±50 km of CASSIOPE’s average altitude, there are currently 9,165 active payloads and 233 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1017, STARLINK-1039, STARLINK-1047. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 52.6% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 80.9°, CASSIOPE passes over latitudes between 80.9°N and 80.9°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 12 share a similar altitude band with CASSIOPE.