PERSEUS M1

PERSEUS M1 is an active satellite operated by Dauria Aerospace (Russia (CIS)), launched on 2014-06-19 from OREN. After 12 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 573 km and 588 km with an inclination of 98.0°. It travels at approximately 27,260 km/h (7.57 km/s), completing one full orbit every 96 minutes — that’s roughly 14.96 orbits per day. Its near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit means it passes over any given point on Earth at approximately the same local solar time, ideal for consistent Earth observation lighting conditions. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~3–10 years. Orbital Radar tracks PERSEUS M1 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

PERSEUS M1 orbits at an average altitude of 581 km in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), a specialised subset of LEO where the orbital plane precesses to maintain a constant angle relative to the Sun. This provides consistent lighting conditions on every pass — essential for Earth observation, weather monitoring and environmental science. Within ±50 km of PERSEUS M1’s average altitude, there are currently 3,279 active payloads and 548 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0050, STARLINK-3005, STARLINK-3090. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 18.8% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 98.0°, PERSEUS M1 passes over latitudes between 98.0°N and 98.0°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 31 share a similar altitude band with PERSEUS M1.