COSMOS 2494 (SKRL 756)

COSMOS 2494 (SKRL 756) is an active satellite operated by Russia (CIS), launched on 2013-12-28 from PKMTR. After 13 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 541 km and 563 km with an inclination of 82.4°. It travels at approximately 27,316 km/h (7.59 km/s), completing one full orbit every 96 minutes — that’s roughly 15.05 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~3–10 years. Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 2494 (SKRL 756) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

COSMOS 2494 (SKRL 756) orbits at an average altitude of 552 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 COSMOS 2494 (SKRL 756)’s average altitude, there are currently 3,433 active payloads and 368 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1184, STARLINK-1276, ONEWEB-0050. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 19.7% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 82.4°, COSMOS 2494 (SKRL 756) passes over latitudes between 82.4°N and 82.4°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 42 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 2494 (SKRL 756).